Evening thunder

Reached a high of 27.8c here in the end at 17:20 a little later than recent days. No slight sea breeze unlike yesterday evening so the temp stayed up this evening, still 26c at 8pm, that was until it then started to drop very rapidly despite no sea breeze still, presumably cool air settling on the valley floor here - helped by the low humidity (though this did jump up along with the dew point as the temp dropped). Now down to 15.7c here! 12C cooler than todays max already and dropped 10c in under 2 hours! At a station a about mile west of me (vantage vue weather station) and 50m higher in elevation, it is currently 21.1c! 5.4c higher than here.

28C in Edinburgh.. that can't be too commonIsle Of Man (Ronaldsway Airport) reporting 26C! 29C in Shannon. Also noticed it's quite humid/sticky in Ireland with 18C DP at Shannon and a temp/dew of 28/20 at Claremorris, in contrast across central/south England dew points are the low single figures in places, e.g Yeovilton and Coventry reporting just 1C dew points. I'm taking all readings from xcweather.

Indeed, still feels pretty warm even sat in the shade here but when out a bit earlier I thought it felt like a drier warmth. I didn't actually check humidity charts or forecasts so didn't realise the humidity would be much lower today. It dropped to 25% here and at that time the dew point was 4.9c, and I think the temp was showing 26.6c so almost 22c difference. Currently 27.0c with 28% humidity. High so far 27.2c

I do think there are also members that post about unsettled trends more than settled ones in FI that balance out some of the 'mainly posing high pressure' posts. So I have also got the feeling occasionally that sometimes we are told that these warm/settled charts are in FI, but other time some post about trends to unsettled weather/breakdowns, or things staying unsettled, which are also in FI. Re the Azores High. I can see Mushy's point when the Azores high is a true Azires high centered near th Azores. If it wasn't often near there or a trough was there NW Europe would probably be slightly warmer on average in summer due to a downstream ridge or warmer flow, rather than a NW flow. Never the less it can also be good for us if it ridges in enough (though not thundery warmth fans), or especially if it builds over us more or we get a closed surface high like now, but I'd probably sooner call what we have now a UK high rather than an Azores high..

Another very warm one, a degree or so down on yesterday but the visibility excellent and the sky a deeper blue. Top temp so far here today is 26.8C Also the humidity value is quite notable here - just dropped to 29% which is actually my lowest recorded value in nearly 6 years of records. Edit: 28% now

Castlederg in Northern Ireland reached 29.5C yesterday, 1.3C short of the all time maximum temp record for NI.

I'd suggest a set up like we have now with high sat over us can bring more widespread warmth/sun/high temperatures than a high to the east - for example many northern/western parts joining in this time whereas a high to the east could leave these cooler/cloudier and more prone to Atlantic fronts - even here a high to the east will bring winds of the channel meaning for some parts of the SW especially here near the south coast we have cooler maxima than we are getting at the moment. Highs to the east can bring hotter flows of course, though I don't think we need this for 30c or even 90f, 1976 had hot high centered over us patterns, including the end of June when the June record, 36C was recorded in Southampton (and 33C here at Exeter Airport) this doesn't suggest a south or SE flow.I would like a high to the east for the storm risk and also warm temps, and interesting seeing high temps further east perhaps. So I would like both the current set up and a high to the east in summer. Of course it does depend on location, in a country like the UK with coasts in all directions and different influences depending on where you live, you will never get a set up or wind direction that is the best for everyone. In this particular instance I can see why some near the east coast may not be so keen on this set up though. Nice to see the models this morning maintaining influence from the Azores high even if it stops becoming a displaced/UK high, so remaining more settled/pleasant the further SW you go.. my area looks like being one of the best areas - maybe the 'English Riviera' and surrounding SW will actually live up to it's name.

Reached 28.3c here today, the highest I've recorded and the highest locally since 2006! felt pretty hot although I didn't find it too bad in the shade at times. Exeter Airport also reported 28c. Cooled off a bit here now due to a slight sea breeze the SW looks best on average this week, great weather to have with the scenery we have down here. 22c here is better than 25c in London or areas around there, or some of the east IMO. Slightly lower summer temps/heatwave spell temps on average is a small price to pay (and that didn't apply this time or in early June). I agree that many stations on sites like Weather Underground are not so accurate, that is the case with many around my area too. Hawarden did reach 27.4c today in one of the hourly readings though, and I did see xcweather round a reading to 28C earlier. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/observations/#?tab=last24hours&fcTime=1373151600

A bit irritated I must admit at the GFS 06z and runs moving towards the GFS today , even the BBC were confident enough to say hotting up again to 30C at the weekend and possibly after, but not sure that will happen if the GFS comes off (maybe very locally on Saturday), as the Met Office forecast maps don't show temps quite as high on Friday and Saturday even as they were yesterday/today in places. It seems like ECM = most accurate model - unless it shows something you want to happen, then it follows the GFS instead.

Is that concrete so it heats up more in the sun, actually paint all the concrete black and easterlies could be pretty hot! Temp here a bit behind yesterday and struggling to rise at the moment, shame as if yesterday afternoon wasn't scuppered by high cloud thick enough to block out the sun I think I could have recorded a 29C here. Still 26.5c so rather warm.. aiming to get 28c to break by record from yesterday, still possible though, only has to rise 1.3c from the 26.7c max so far, as long as we avoid a sea breeze or something before that happens.

After a low of 10.9C (shallow cooler air in the valley) it's already reached 20C here.

Hmm ECM and UKMO seem to be moving to the GFS scenario.. shame the better two models do that rather than the GFS move when the ECM showed something I kind of wanted to occur.

temp still 26.0C even though you can barely see the sun through the high cloud patch still centered directly where the sun is, surprising how warm it still feels. Tomorrows temps looks similar to what it was forecast to be today here, as long as another load of unexpected high cloud doesn't pop up.

High cloud held off making the sun too weak for long enough to beat my temp record! 27.9C reached, hottest since 2006 here. It has fallen off a degree now but is quite stable for now even though the sun has been behind a cumulus cloud and then high cloud (thick enough so there's no visible sunshine on the ground) for a while now. Wonder how high it could have got without this cloud here.. still, can't complain and looks like similar temps tomorrow!

High cloud continuing to slowly advance, and getting thicker. This wasn't forecast and won't be amused if it continues and stops me breaking my record max temp. Temp hasn't risen for the last hour and if anything has started falling slightly at the moment..

reached 26.8c briefly about 10 minutes ago, dropped about half a degree now, expect it to warm up a bit more but there is some annoying high cloud moving in from the west, hope it doesn't cap the temperature too much.. Need to beat 27.5C to have the hottest temp here since 2006.

Blimey, already 20.0C here! last night was reasonably cool with a 9.5C min, but warming up very rapidly! at 9:05am the temp hit 20.0C, now at 9:40 it's 23.0C Just looked back to the 25th July last year when it reached 27.3C here, and we're are slightly over 3C ahead of this time that morning. I doubt it will quite reach 30C here today, but 28C is probably quite likely. I reckon it's pretty likely somewhere will hit 30C though.

Must admit it seems that way to me too, and then some say that people look at settled/warm charts in FI as if it's gunna happen even though it's FI so shouldn't post them so much. Just an observation that I don't think people always posting settled warmth and dismissing unsettled charts is as widespread as some think.

The ECM this morning certainly didn't go for a quick cool down this weekend though, by Tuesday: So I'm not gunna get too hung up over the break down yet as soon as this spell starts. It may change tonight but that would mean inconsistency not a trend yet (at least for next weekend). My way of thinking though is usually that anything a model shows is possible, unless the model's physics is flawed.. that includes good and bad output.

Ah oh dear, even though I like warmth sometimes and want to see/record some high temps, I'm not very good at physical activity in such weather - anything other than a short or relaxed/flat ground bicycle ride in the mid to high 20's - no thanks.

Does she know you hate it so much? 22c here, must admit the sun felt a bit too hot in the garden planting things, cooler in the shade with a breeze. Seems more like 24C maybe 25C a bit further inland though, slightly warmer than forecast locally. Tomorrow is forecast 27C here. Heathrow was reading 28c on xcweather until it updated just now. Met Office show 27.5C at 4pm and 27.3C at 5pm there.

Lovely day today, feels very warm in the sun. About 22C here but it seems like 24-25C further inland, warmer than expected again. Just have a minor disagreement with SW regional forecast tomorrow, the Met Office says 'perhaps locally hot in the east'.. with ENE surface winds I can't see why similar temps can't get into at least Devon. Forecast 27C here (so could be a tad higher), that's hot in my book.

Temp here warming up nicely, fluctuating but already reached 21C (todays predicted high). Seems to have been warmer than expected with less sea breeze influence yesterday and today. Tomorrow is when the warmth/heat is meant to properly start down here with a forecast high of 27C. Just a little interesting detail I've noticed, interesting how todays hotspot, quite possibly Yorkshire, coincides with a cooler pool of 850hpa temps: Looking on Weather Online the NAE has some of the coolest 850hpa temps there: http://expert-images.weatheronline.co.uk/daten/proficharts/en/nae/2013/07/06/basis06/ukuk/t850/13070615_0606.gif and the other hotspot of London. Whereas the warmest 950hpa temps are there: http://expert-images.weatheronline.co.uk/daten/proficharts/en/nae/2013/07/06/basis06/ukuk/t925/13070615_0606.gif (a notable inversion off SW England too)

Yes I was a bit surprised too, slightly higher temp predictions than you'd expect from the GFS with the uppers we have too. I think that is on the high end of possible temps but shows the very warm outlook continuing at least until next week end it looks like, with hot days possible if the high orientates favorably for that. I think I'd die doing anything too strenuous at 30C+ temps too! Dreamt up, almost entirely, by the press shame how many believe the rather 'creative' output/interpretations from certain media sources and associate it with the Met even on this forum but oh well. Can't deny though it is a bit amusing that as soon as the media publish these interpretations this happens with our weather

If anything the models (or at least the ECM and GFS) seem to be extending this spell in the longer/unreliable timeframe at the moment. GFS has upgraded temps next week end by quite a margin in the south: That is likely to change a bit being at t+183, but nice to see the models aren't gradually eating away at temps now like some runs were before. It has also upgraded temps slightly next week compared to yesterday's runs.