1St October 1985...scorchio

[Weather-history]

Coming up to the 25th anniversary of this event and I can't recall anything about it!

Aberdeen Dyce: 24.4C on the 29th September

Higher than any value that was recorded during August of that year

Maxima recorded for 1st of October 1985

29.4C March

28.4C Cranwell

28.0C Watnall

27.7C Bedford

27.7C Finningley

27.0C Heathrow

26.8C Elmdon

25.6C Manchester

24.1C Durham

22.3C Tynemouth

Times of 2nd October 1985

[Stargazer]

Remember it well - but probably only because it was my birthday and the weather on October 1 very rarely seems to be good. You've only got to look at the prospects for this coming Friday to get the idea...

[cooling climate]

Funny you bring up a October heat wave as just the other day I was trying to recall an

Indian summer spell (heat wave if you like) around the middle of October or slightly earlier

where temperatures were reaching the mid seventies in southern England.

I am not sure how far north the warmth extended. I may be wrong but I think this occurred

in the late seventies, having just looked at the archive synoptic charts possibly 78, if not

then sometime in the eighties.

[Weather-history]

Funny you bring up a October heat wave as just the other day I was trying to recall an

Indian summer spell (heat wave if you like) around the middle of October or slightly earlier

where temperatures were reaching the mid seventies in southern England.

I am not sure how far north the warmth extended. I may be wrong but I think this occurred

in the late seventies, having just looked at the archive synoptic charts possibly 78, if not

then sometime in the eighties.

Yes, there was such a spell during mid October 1978. 25.2C at Greenwich on the 11th

[Essan]

Ah, yes: when the warmest October day was in March

I remember it being a very warm day, usually so for October, but that's about all.

[Ladyofthestorm]

In stark contrast to October 3rd 2008.. it snowed!.. maybe Mr Data could kindly bring the synopitic charts up for that.

Edited September 28, 2010 by Ladyofthestorm

[cheeky_monkey]

Funny you bring up a October heat wave as just the other day I was trying to recall an

Indian summer spell (heat wave if you like) around the middle of October or slightly earlier

where temperatures were reaching the mid seventies in southern England.

I am not sure how far north the warmth extended. I may be wrong but I think this occurred

in the late seventies, having just looked at the archive synoptic charts possibly 78, if not

then sometime in the eighties.

mid Oct 1990?

[cooling climate]

mid Oct 1990?

Cheers but the one I was thinking of was 1978 as mr Data pointed out.

[Weather-history]

Newspaper clippings of 2nd October 1985

             

 

        

[A Face like Thunder]

'October sunshine surprise'. It would have been given the wretched summer months of 1985! 

[LetItSnow!]

Interesting how both 1985 and 2011 saw identical record warm temperatures on the same day and both occuring after very cool summers.

 

September 1985 was also very warm and dry in the SE, but unusually it was very cool and wet in the north. Usually you don't see as much of a pronounced difference north to south. 

[Don]

10 hours ago, LetItSnow! said:

Interesting how both 1985 and 2011 saw identical record warm temperatures on the same day and both occuring after very cool summers.

Yes, quite similar indeed for end of September/early October.  November 1985 and 2011 were somewhat different though!

[Summer8906]

Oddly I don't remember this event specifically, though I do remember autumn 1985 as a whole being mostly warm and sunny with misty mornings and sunny afternoons, turning much colder later.

The fact that it occurred midweek (Tuesday) probably didn't help, as it was a school day and there wasn't games (that academic year it was Thursdays, I remember that due to a cross-country run in the snow on Thursday 6th Feb 1986!)

Also the forecasts note a breakdown occurring after the hot weather. The month as a whole was very anticyclonic though, the breakdown, dominated by mild but damp southwesterlies, lasting until around the 10th. (Actually I do remember one mild but damp Sunday in October 1985, which, looking at the archives could only have been October 6th). Finally a cold plunge arrived on the 31st setting the scene for November.

Edited October 1, 2022 by Summer8906

[hillbilly]

After cool weather for much of September warmer weather arrived on the 27th hotting up right through to 2nd October,then a few days of showers leaving 7th and 8th warm and sunny and a hot and sunny weekend of 12th and 13th October ended the warm theme.

[hillbilly]

5 hours ago, Summer8906 said:

Oddly I don't remember this event specifically, though I do remember autumn 1985 as a whole being mostly warm and sunny with misty mornings and sunny afternoons, turning much colder later.

The fact that it occurred midweek (Tuesday) probably didn't help, as it was a school day and there wasn't games (that academic year it was Thursdays, I remember that due to a cross-country run in the snow on Thursday 6th Feb 1986!)

Also the forecasts note a breakdown occurring after the hot weather. The month as a whole was very anticyclonic though, the breakdown, dominated by mild but damp southwesterlies, lasting until around the 10th. (Actually I do remember one mild but damp Sunday in October 1985, which, looking at the archives could only have been October 6th). Finally a cold plunge arrived on the 31st setting the scene for November.

Yes Sunday 6th ,it actually rained all day here in the Pennines but was mild and the day after was warm and sunny.

[Summer8906]

3 hours ago, hillbilly said:

After cool weather for much of September warmer weather arrived on the 27th hotting up right through to 2nd October,then a few days of showers leaving 7th and 8th warm and sunny and a hot and sunny weekend of 12th and 13th October ended the warm theme.

Down south (as noted above) September was persistently warm and sunny, from what I remember.

Looking at the archives however, it seemed to come in waves, one between about the 6th-12th, then cloudy westerlies (but with ridges on a few days likely giving sunnier conditions) until about the 22nd, before anticyclonic again for the remainder of the month. The middle part of September looked not unlike the forecast for the coming week. Persistent high pressure in the south, even under the westerlies ould suggest it was indeed very dry down here though.

I remember there was a Saturday with cheap tickets on West of England trains due to a GWR 150th anniversary event and we travelled to Bristol that day by train. It was cloudy but dry, but looking at the archives could either have been the 14th or the 21st.

Edited October 1, 2022 by Summer8906