July 1808 - A very hot month

[conor123]

1. Notably WARM month (using the CET series since 1659). With a value of 18.4degC, it is in the 'top-10' of such-named months for warmth. In particular, there was a HOT spell from the 12th to the 15th, with a peak around the 13th/14th, when the CET daily TEMPERATURE (i.e. average of 24hr maximum & minimum) climbed to just over 24degC. Studies since that date have shown that individual day MAXIMA were well above 25degC (possibly to 28degC) in the West of England; up to (almost certainly over) 32degC in London & possibly as high as 34degC in Kingston upon Hull (ER Yorkshire): however caution is required with all these values due to the differing instruments, exposure, accuracy of recording etc. It was undoubtedly a VERY HOT spell though, as deaths (people & animals) from heat exhaustion were recorded, particularly from the agricultural areas in the east and north of England. One report at the time (from farm records in the eastern Fens), says that the TEMPERATURE in the shade near London was 96 (degF), which converts to just over 35degC: the same reference notes that this spell is the "hottest day ever known in Eng'd … the Hot Sunday in 1790 was only 83 Deg". [ NB: August 1808 also reasonably warm, with anomaly circa + 1degC. ]

2. 13th: 'HOT Wednesday': shade temperatures 33 to 35degC in E. and SE England, 37degC (99degF) reported in Suffolk (exposure & instrument details unknown . . see 1. above).

3. DAMAGING HAILSTORM affected counties in SW England afternoon / evening of the 15th (presumably as the HOT spell above was breaking down), primarily affecting Dorset, Somerset & Gloucestershire. The storm first hit areas in the Sherborne / Templecombe area late afternoon then moved (or developed) NNW'wards to reach Bristol mid-evening. From reports at the time, the diameter of much of the HAIL was of the order 11 cm, with much DAMAGE being recorded - including injury & DEATH to people in the open. If these reports are correct, then this 1808 HAILSTORM (according to Colin Clark / 'Weather' July 2004), produced the largest HAIL diameters for Britain known (along with that for 1697).

Credit to http://homepage.ntlworld.com/booty.weather.../histclimat.htm

[Rustynailer]

Death by hailstone in the UK, that would be an eye opener. The hot July we just had broke down, in the end with storms that were pretty good, for some i suppose if things were a little different we might have had far worse storms