by P. Homewood, Aug 116, 2026 in NotaLotOfPeopleKnowThat

Hottest day of the year in the urban heat ravaged London, where temperatures are generally around three degrees higher than elsewhere:

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Back in 1911 temperatures in London hit 37.8C (100F):

In those days, London was known as “The Smoke” for good reason. Coal power stations, gas works, steam trains and pretty much all industry filled the atmosphere with fumes, blocking out much of the sun’s energy.

There is nothing unprecedented about the weather in the past week.

Just as significant are the temperatures in more rural areas – 98F (36.7C) at Canterbury, Epsom and Raunds in 1911.

This week, the highest temperature at a Class 1 site was 35.5 at Rothamsted, in the Hertfordshire countryside just outside the London urban heat bubble.

The heatwave in 1911 was also long lasting, extending from July well into September. It was also exceptionally dry.

I’ll do a full analysis when summer is over. But the summer of 1911 disproves the notion that we did not used to have heatwaves like this year’s in the past.