More Reasons to Doubt the U.K.’s ‘Record’ 40C Temperature Was Attained Last Summer

Four of the five measuring stations that recorded temperatures over 4O°C in the UK on the afternoon of July 19th last year are subject to margin of error uncertainties up to 1°C, according to classifications set by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). This includes the highest mark of 40.3°C set at RAF Coningsby. The second highest temperature of 40.2°C set in London’s St James’s Park has a suggested margin of error of up to 2°C. The findings are presented in recent research compiled by the climate sceptic blog Cliscep.

All five sites are shown to be subject to heat contamination from non-climatic sources. Finding Met Offices temperature sites that are not prone to such contamination is not easy, but Cliscep did note that one exists at Harpenden where there are no human-made structures within 100 metres. While Coningsby to the north in Lincolnshire produced the claimed record high, Harpenden topped out at 37.8°C.

The WMO has five weather station classifications. Class 1 and 2 do not require any adjustment of temperature, class 3 has estimated uncertainty of 1°C, while classes 4 and 5 are 2°C and 5°C respectively.

Regular readers will recall that we have raised concerns about the RAF Coningsby record due to nearby runways and buildings, and the presence of two squadrons of Typhoon fighter jets. The record was set at 3.12pm following a sudden jump in temperature of 0.6°C in the previous two minutes. Sixty seconds later, the temperature fell to 39.7°C. The Met Office has refused to answer our questions on the matter. We have also noted the wider debate about corrupted surface measurements that are increasingly evident in global temperature datasets. And we have also questioned whether these measurements should be accepted as part of the narrative used to promote the command-and-control Net Zero project.

Just days after the Daily Sceptic started asking questions about the Met Office Coningsby record, the BBC published an article that – without apparent irony – warned that “misinformation and myths about extreme hot weather are once again circulating on social media”. By ‘misinformation’ the BBC didn’t mean the Met Office’s claim that the U.K. had experienced record-breaking hot weather last July. On the contrary, the ‘misinformation’ it had in mind were claims that runway temperatures were played a role in the ‘record’ temperatures, noting that some had suggested that heat emitted from an airport runway had skewed temperatures. The BBC didn’t dispute that the measuring devises are located in these concrete jungles, but said they are located in standardised boxes away from concrete or hardstanding “wherever possible”. That’s alright then.

Let us look at five photographs showing the placement of measuring devises in all the sites that recorded over 40°C on July 19th and see what care is taken to site them away from buildings and hardstandings.

Cliscep has marked three concentric circles at 10, 30 and 100 metres at RAF Coningsby, relevant to defining the WMO classification class. Coningsby is class 3 and subject to a margin of error up to 1°C. It fails class 2 because of hardstanding within the 30m radius.

No runways in St James’s Park, or fighter jets on manoeuvres, a point made on social media by those keen to promote the breaching of the 40°C mark. But the metalled path is within 10m, earning a class 4 classification with 2°C uncertainty. And it is bang in the centre of the largest city in the U.K.

Heathrow is often featured in the Met Office record books, but significant hardstanding within 30m earns a class 3 classification and a 1°C margin of error. Of course, Heathrow is also one of the busiest airports in the world and constant jet exhaust blowing over the site might suggest class 3 is a tad on the generous side.

The best of the lot, suggests Cliscep, is Kew Gardens with a class 2. There are artificial surfaces within the 30 and 100m rings. Cliscep doesn’t mention it, but the structure to the top left is one of the largest tropical greenhouses in the world. Breezes wafting over the glass structure could easily carry heat into surrounding areas of the gardens. It is noted that Kew is in the middle of a large urban area.

RAF Northolt suffers from all the usual airport corruptions with significant hardstandings within 30m of the measuring devise. That makes it class 3, with a margin of error of up to 1°C.

Why does all this matter? Temperature measurements over the last 200 years have shown small overall increases – the trend over this period has been mostly positive, although there have been declines and pauses – the latest one stretching over eight years and counting. Over this period, meteorological operations have tolerated obvious inaccuracies and poor placements, knowing that the figures at least supply broad trends. That all changes, however, when humankind is suddenly driven into a doom-laden frenzy over worries that climate breakdown stalks the entire planet, following a rise of a few parts of a degree centigrade. In order to save the world, humankind is obliged to forgo cheap, efficient fossil fuels and embrace the green-controlled world of Net Zero. In those circumstances, temperature measurements become political tools. They must keep rising to keep populations scared and willing to fall in with unpleasant, de-industrialisation agendas.

That is why the 40°C ‘records’ of last summer were important. That is why there is an increasing disconnect between frequently adjusted surface records and accurate measurements made by satellites. That is why the BBC “debunks” the “common myth” that tarmac and concrete have a significant effect on nearby temperature measurements.

Chris Morrison is the Daily Sceptic’s Environment Editor.