By Philip Eden

An unprecedented heatwave lasted from the 3rd to the 11th, and it remained generally warm and dry (except in north and west Scotland) until the 27th. The end of the month was cool and changeable.

The Central England Temperature (CET) for August 2003 was 18.3°C, which is 2.1 degC above the mean for the standard reference period 1971-2000, and the highest since 1997. In the last 100 years there were only four warmer Augusts � in 1947, 1975, 1995 and 1997. Average afternoon maxima ranged from 1.0-1.5 degC above normal in northern and western Scotland and Northern Ireland, to 3.0-3.5 degC above in parts of southern, central and eastern England. Average night minima ranged from 0.0-0.5 degC above normal in western Scotland and Northern Ireland to 2.0-2.5 degC above in many parts of England and Wales.

The temperature exceeded 30�C somewhere in the country daily from the 3rd to the 12th inclusive, and reached or exceeded 35�C on the 5th, 6th, 9th, 10th and 11th. A maximum of 38.1�C was recorded at Gravesend on the 10th, establishing a new UK high temperature record although this figure may yet be superseded when all available reports have been checked. The last few days were exceptionally cool, the maximum of 11�C at Buxton on the 28th making it the coldest August day here since 1986, while overnight temperatures on the 29th/30th and 30th/31st were close to zero locally in the Scottish highlands, the Lake District, the northern Pennines and the Welsh hills; an air minimum of �1.0�C was reported from Bastreet on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall early on the 31st.

Rainfall averaged over England and Wales was 19.5mm which is 77 per cent below the average for the standard reference period 1971-2000. During the last 100 years only three Augusts were drier � 1940, 1947 and 1995. In the main population centres in Scotland the total for August 2003 was 20mm which is 75 per cent below the normal amount, whereas the Northern Ireland total of 19mm was 77 per cent below. Occasional thunderstorms delivered some heavy localised falls, including a truly remarkable downpour of 49mm in 15 minutes at Carlton-in-Cleveland, near Middlesbrough, on the morning of the 10th. Monthly rainfall totals ranged from 1.7mm at Luton in Bedfordshire to 109mm at Strath of Orchy in Argyll. Percentages ranged from 3 at Luton to 70 at Kirkwall in Orkney.

Sunshine over England and Wales totalled 210 hours during August 2003 which is 19 per cent above the long-term average for the month. The equivalent figure for Scotland's main population centres was 198 hours (33 per cent above), and for Northern Ireland it was 183 hours (18 per cent above). Monthly aggregates ranged from 126 hours at Kirkwall to 288 hours at Eastbourne. Percentages ranged from 92 at St Athan in Glamorgan to 170 at Bishopton, near Glasgow.

(c) Philip Eden