Bbc Weather: Mid April 2003 Heatwave

[Weather-history]

Here are 2 BBC forecasts from 16th and 17th April 2003, when the UK experienced a Spring heatwave. Good Friday was another sunny warm day but smoky from the moor fires on the Pennines but typically it turned cloudier and cooler over the rest of the Easter break

Edited March 13, 2012 by Mr_Data

[Scorcher]

An amazing spell of weather, thanks for the link to the forecast. The Europe map at the beginning is extraordinary with London at 27C, Athens at only 14C and Moscow at 8C. Even Oslo is warmer than Athens, I can't imagine that happens too often!

[Weather-history]

An amazing spell of weather, thanks for the link to the forecast. The Europe map at the beginning is extraordinary with London at 27C, Athens at only 14C and Moscow at 8C. Even Oslo is warmer than Athens, I can't imagine that happens too often!

Highest uppers in mainland Europe on 16th April 2003 was over Britain

http://www.wetterzentrale.de/pics/archive/ra/2003/Rrea00220030416.gif

[AderynCoch]

For me, this was better than 2007 and 2011. It really did feel like summer sitting out in a beer garden.

[Weather-history]

Note that temperature at Skye in the 2nd broadcast of 23C, that is impressive, I suspect there have been summer months when it hasn't even reached that once.

[Scorcher]

I remember taking a trip into the Peak District on the 16th (I don't think the fires had really got going by that point) and I couldn't quite believe how warm it felt. It also seemed rather bizarre as many trees were still without leaves up there, yet the temperature was in the mid twenties. I was only 15 at the time and couldn't remember it ever being hot in April before, in fact I didn't even know temperatures in the mid 20s were possible in mid-April.

[Portland Paul]

Weymouth beach was packed on that glorious Good Friday 2003. Next day, it was completely deserted when the chilly, brisk easterly wind blew a fair amount of sand right into the town centre under grey overcast skies.

I remember around the 15th or 16th April 2007, in Birmingham, the oak trees bursting into leaf a fortnight or so early; my only thoughts at that time, was that there was no going back, hoping not for any frosts to follow. Thankfully, it remained warm.

Last April 2011 really was phenomenal, bear in mind that Portland, sticking out to sea would have been prone to chilling sea breezes, but days on end of unbroken sunshine and light winds managed to push temperatures regularly up into the mid to high teens, and on one occasion, 22 c. Overall, it felt quite Meditteranean. Peonies had already finished blooming by the end of the month !! (As a kid, in the mid eighties, my parent's Peonies would normally bloom in mid to late May). The grass had browned quite badly everywhere, but greened up during spectacular thunderstorms on 6th May, that moved up from Biscay - an exceptional warm, dry spring period going out in true style !

Edited March 17, 2012 by Portland Paul