Britain Sizzles with Record-Breaking Overnight Heat
During the scorching July heatwave, the UK smashed an extraordinary new record for the highest daily minimum temperature. No night chill to be had as temperatures refused to dip below a sweltering 26.8°C.
Oxfordshire Farm Sets New Heat Benchmark
Shirburn Model Farm in Oxfordshire registered a blistering low of 26.8°C at 4:32am on 19 July 2022. This means the temperature never dropped below that all day and night – a new UK record. It toppled the previous mark of 25.8°C, set hours earlier at Kenley Airfield.
Record Confirmed After Rigorous Checks
The Met Office only just confirmed the new high overnight temperature record after thorough verification. Some weather stations send data slower than others, delaying the all-clear.
Daily minimum temperature records track the lowest temperatures recorded between 9am one day and 9am the next. In this case, the record covers 9am on 18 July to 9am on 19 July.
Heatwave Experts Warn Overnight Highs Are Just as Brutal
“This new record is another reminder of just how severe the heat was in July,” said Met Office Data Quality Manager John Penman. “What’s remarkable is that this surpasses the previous record from August 1990 of 23.9°C by nearly three whole degrees. Overnight temperatures, like daytime highs, have smashed previous records during this unprecedented UK heatwave.”
The Met Office operates a vast network of weather stations nationwide, including automated sites transmitting real-time data and voluntary manual stations providing less frequent updates. Every potential record undergoes strict quality control and verification by a dedicated Weather Assessment Team before being announced.
