Hit 29.1C max yesterday, hoping to clear 30C today. Already 22.5C and feeling very warm...

Did you not have minimums in the 20's last year? We had a number of them last year with the warmest not dropping below 24C, and with most of the coastal towns seeing similar values in Hampshire and further surely the countryside couldn't have been that far off? 

Funny enough we didn't hit 30C last year...  

I heard a few years ago that weather stations attatched to walls give unreliable night time readings because the wall heats up all day and then releases that heat at night. There's probably a lot of personal weather stations on or nearby walls or other materials that are releasing heat at night.

Values for 30th June to 4th July last year:

10.2   27.9

18.4   31.0

14.9   21.2

7.75   27.0

So not that noteworthy apart from 1st July. A small chance that day could be rivaled tomorrow.

Historically 20*C a minimum is almost unheard of in the 21st Century here; there is just one, somewhat uncertain date which won't surprise anyone; 10th August 2003 may have just about managed a minimum of 20*C to go with the incredible 36*C maximum (the local record, I believe).

Since then it's been a struggle to even get within a degree of 20*C. The hottest day of 2006 had a 16*C minimum before its impressive 35*C maximum. In fact, the 18.4 of last July looks to be the highest since that day in 2003.

So, lots to play for over the next couple of nights 

- and picturesareme, I expect Larry has hit the nail on the head when it comes to those astonishingly high readings that you have reported from last year. Though I wouldn't be surprised if you managed a 20 on 1st July.

Back to today - the temperature reports for 11:50/12:00 (depending on the station) are remarkably uniform across the southern half of England; the vast majority reported either 23 or 24*C. Winds are also very light away from the immediate coast and this is leading to an already stifling feel.

Despite far more sunshine, the temps are similar to where yesterday was at this time - testament to the little bit more cooling that the clearer skies allowed to take place last night.

This morning has been all about solar input - but as the day continues, we'll have the Spanish Plume slowly but steadily advancing from the south, helping temperatures to keep on rising until perhaps as late as 6 pm quite widely.

By arriving so slowly and during the daytime, this particular plume will be able to establish itself firmly at the surface, as opposed to riding up and over cooler surface air such as could occur if the plume was arriving more quickly and/or in the cooler part of the day. I believe this is what paves the way for some unusually high overnight minimums, and perhaps even a UK Max somewhere in the top 1% of recorded values (i.e. 35*C).

not disputing what you say about inaccurate readings but I would also say a station located in a field of Tarmac would have the same sort of effect with radiant heat 😉 *coughs!(Heathrow)*

anyway my own garden is a max/min digital that gets strung from the metal garden frame thing - it's only good for night temps. It's very exposed. 

Also my garden tends to be a good couple of degrees cooler then the street is.. This is true at all time of the year.

Some high temps at opposite sides of the country. 27c at Chivenor and 27c at Bridlington.

28.7c in Charlwood hottest day of the year.

Max today 30.6C - I knew we'd do it!! 

Latest high temp 29.4c St James's Park London

Scorchio!!

That true, sometimes we had no choice of where to put it. started it first time in Cyprus when we had no garden and put them on the most shaded wall like N facing, it gave out quite accurate readings as the local temps recorded.  In here the night time temps can be few degrees warmer and day time the same too.

29.3C here now and it was 30.2C yesterday.

Hmm interesting... Manchester's official July temperature record is 32.2C, and the BBC are forecasting a high of 31C up here tomorrow afternoon. Even though it's a small chance, it could be under threat perhaps?

Even more so, the night-time minima they are forecasting is 22C. Again that must be near-record breaking for up here too.

Here's something you don't see too often on here these days - screengrabs from the 6:28 BBC News at Six forecast!

35C was mentioned as a potential high tomorrow, most likely in the Midlands.

Hi thanks for the explanation of how you record temps. But I wasn't actually pointing you out I was making a general statement that we have to be careful with personal weather stations. You make a good point though which I think agrees with mine that stuff like like tarmac can make a big difference. The problem is we don't have all the official weather stations that we used to have so realistically its possible for a location to record higher temps than the max that we officailly get but it won't be officially accepted. Its just one of those things.