[summer '85]

This was an absolutely gorgeous day. I remember the day well, it was a Sunday, it was sunny and warm with a balmy breeze, fantastic. Tropical air had flooded northwards behind a warm front during Saturday night and most of the UK had a beautiful sunny day and temperatures rocketed despite the breeze.

25.6C at Hawarden
24.6C at Heathrow
24.1C at Cambridge
23.5C at Elmdon
23.0C at Ringway

Bill Giles did the Beeb forecast that evening which I have on tape and he said it was for most of England and Wales, it was the warmest October day for 10 years (1985)

Here's the league table for that day that he gave

London 25C
Cambridge 25C
Chester 25C
Gloucester 24C
Barnstaple 24C
Aberystwyth 24C
Lincoln 24C
Liverpool 23C
Newcastle 23C
Carlisle 23C
Fort Augustus 21C
Whitehaven 21C

So as far north as Carlisle and Newcastle maxima of around 23C were recorded that day

 

 

I remember sitting in the garden just after the sun had set that day in a t-shirt. Star gazing. Another memorable from a memorable year, weatherwise.

[London Calling]

1995, 1996 and 1997 gave a run of warm Octobers. In the case of '95 and '97 the month was a continuation of a warm, sunny summer. 2 years after the day you've mentioned here, there was an even warmer October day, memorable because it was in the latter half of the month - the 18th. I remember I was at Kew Gardens that day, and it was beautiful - autumn colours, a warm breeze, and golden sunlight. The highest reported temperature was 25.9C at Nantmor (Gwynedd), the latest date in the year for a temperature of >25C.

[BUTTERFLY]

The temperature reached 21.4 deg. C. (non-standard thermometer and exposure) at my place of work at Carne near Portadown, Co. Armagh, on 8th October 1995, the highest October temperature I have recorded there from 1995-2008. Probably a little high but may well have been around 20 deg. C. somewhere in Northern Ireland, where the highest official October temperature is 24.1 deg. C. at Strabane, Co. Tyrone, on 10th October 1969. For the Republic of Ireland, it is 25.2 deg. C. at Clongowes Wood College, Co. Kildare, on 3rd October 1908.

[BUTTERFLY]

The last time 80 deg. F. (c. 26.7 deg. C.) was reached or exceeded in October in Britain was 1985, when it reached 29.4 deg. C. at March in Cambridgeshire, also the highest British temperature ever recorded in October; 80 deg. F. was also reached or exceeded in 1908 (in Scotland, Wales and Northern England!), 1921 and 1959. Temperatures of 25 deg. C. + are more common; since 1985 have occurred in 1995 (25.5 deg. C.), 1997 (26.0 deg. C.) and 2001 (25.3 deg. C.). On 12th October 2008 it reached 22.9 deg. C. at Clerkenwell (London) and Gravesend (Kent), which seems likely to be the highest this month (see http://www.ukweather...posts=3&start=1).

[AndrewJM]

London Calling - I remember the 1997 event well. The weather forecaster that night on the BBC said that if we wanted temperatures like that again we would have to wait until next Summer! In my case it was actually the summer after as I spent the Summer of 1998 in Manchester!

[summer '85]

[summer '85]

October 1995 was a warm month with a CET of 12.8C. For England and Wales, it was fairly dry but for Scotland and Northern Ireland it was much wetter.

Here are a series of forecasts from this month. Unfortunately the quality of some of the forecasts are not too brilliant.

2nd October 1995


3rd October 1995: breezy

[summer '85]

4th October 1995: Michael Fish talks about hurricane Opal which struck the Gulf. It was a notable hurricane.

[summer '85]

5th October 1995: good radar image of hurricane Opal

[summer '85]

6th October 1995: Bill Giles says it is going to turn warmer

[summer '85]

7th October 1995

[summer '85]

Another warm day for many parts
9th October 1995


10th October 1995

[summer '85]

11th October 1995


12th October 1995

[summer '85]

13th October 1995


7th consecutive day of a maximum of 20+C being recorded somewhere in the UK. Some impressive maxima recorded in Scotland

[summer '85]

15th October 1995


16th October 1995

[summer '85]

18th October 1995


21st October 1995

[summer '85]

22nd October 1995

[summer '85]

23rd October 1995


24th October 1995: a squall line pushes through. I remember this, it had been breezy and warm all day and during the evening, the squall line pushed through.

[summer '85]

25th October 1995


28th October 1995

[summer '85]

29th October 1995


30th October 1995