It’s July 24th and today is the first day i’ve felt remotely comfortable in my own house for weeks. The heat has been slowly building this month, with incredibly stuffy nights keeping me awake and making me feel progressively tired.
Normally our living room is a cool haven, facing North and receiving no direct sunshine, but even this hasn’t been a comfortable place.
The first 23 days of July averaged 17.7 degC. That isn’t record breaking, but it’s very warm for Durham.
The spell of 16th-23rd has been the hottest, averaging 20.3 degC. This has been the spell that’s caused all the sleepless nights. This period also featured 6 consecutive days over 25 degC, reaching a peak of 29.3 degC on 17th.
This spell reminds me a lot of July 2006.
The average minimum of 14.3 degC for the first 23 days is also very high. More than 3 degrees above the long term mean of 11.1 degC. From 16th-23rd the mean minimum was 16.1 degC.
It seems that the rest of the month will be cooler and more comfortable. A big ‘Phew’ from me.
How has the hot weather affected your life?
Comment below.
Meanwhile, in the South of England, it all went crash, bang, wallop.
Lightning destroys roofs as storms end heatwave in southern England and Wales https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-57952825