By Philip Eden

In spite of the unsettled weather of the last two weeks, July turned out to be another very warm month, and in the eastern half of the country it was also a dry and sunny one. It was notable that temperatures were consistently above average, both by day and by night, during that changeable fortnight.

Mean maximum temperature ranged from 15.7C at Fair Isle (between Shetland and Orkney) to 24.2C at Heathrow airport, and in all parts of the country it was between 1 to 2 degC above the average for the standard reference period 1971-2000. Mean minimum temperature was also 1 to 2 degC above normal. Averaged over England and Wales there have been only eleven warmer Julys in the last 100 years, most recently in 1994, 1995 and 1999.

The statistics are even more remarkable when one considers June and July together. The Central England Temperature for the last two months was 16.8C, and this has been exceeded only twice in the last 100 years � in 1976 and 1983.

The first five days of July were relatively cool, but the weather became particularly hot on the 9th-10th, and from the 13th-16th. During this latter spell the temperature daily exceeded 30C over a large part of the UK, as far west as Cornwall and as far north as Ayrshire, and on the 14th the mercury hit 33.6C at Wisley in Surrey. This is the highest figure recorded anywhere in the British Isles in July since 1989.

July�s rainfall averaged over England and Wales was 74mm, six per cent above the long-term average. In the last 100 years, 55 Julys were drier and 45 wetter. The equivalent figure for Scotland�s main population centres was 49mm which is 29 per cent below, and for Northern Ireland it was 65mm which is four per cent below. At a local level the monthly totals ranged from 11mm at Fair Isle, between Shetland and Orkney, to 167mm at Cardinham, near Bodmin in Cornwall.

Sunshine last month totalled 187 hours over England and Wales, just two per cent below the average for 1971-2000. The Scottish figures were 153 hours and eight per cent below, while Northern Ireland had 120 hours which is 21 per cent below. At a local level the monthly aggregates ranged from 81 hours at Hillsborough in County Down to 286 hours at Clacton in Essex.

(c) Philip Eden