1976 United Kingdom heat wave

The 1976 United Kingdom heat wave saw the hottest summer average temperature in the UK since records began. At the same time, the country suffered a severe drought.^[1][2]

Heatwave and drought effects

The temperature reached 80°F (26.7°C) every day between 22 June and 16 July. For 15 consecutive days from 23 June to 7 July inclusive, temperatures reached 90°F (32.2°C) somewhere in England. Furthermore, five days saw temperatures exceed 95°F (35°C). On 28 June, temperatures reached 35.6°C (96.1°F) in Southampton, the highest June temperature recorded in the UK. The hottest day of all was 3 July, with temperatures reaching 35.9°C (96.6°F) in Cheltenham, one of the hottest July days on record in the UK.

The great drought was due to a very long dry period. The summer and autumn of 1975 were very dry, and the winter of 1975–76 was exceptionally dry, as was the spring of 1976, indeed some months during this period had no rain at all in some areas.

The drought was at its most severe in August 1976. Parts of the south west went 45 days without any rain in July and August. As the hot, dry weather continued, devastating heath and forest fires broke out in parts of Southern England. 50,000 trees were destroyed at Hurn Forest in Dorset. Crops were badly hit, with £500 million worth of crops failing. Food prices subsequently increased by 12%.^[3]

In the last week of August, severe thunderstorms brought rain to some places for the first time in weeks. September and October 1976 were both very wet months, bringing to and end the great drought of 1975–1976.

Government response

The effect on domestic water supplies led to the passing of a Drought Act by parliament and Minister for Drought, Denis Howell, was appointed.^[4] There was widespread water rationing and public standpipes in some affected areas. Reservoirs were at an extremely low level, as were some rivers. The rivers Don, Sheaf, Shire Brook and Meers Brook (all in Sheffield) all ran completely dry, without a drop of water in any of them, as well as Frecheville Pond and Carterhall Pond (Carterhall Pond was permanently dry until 2007, when floods hit, and has never dried since).

Comparisons

In the Central England Temperature series 1976 has the hottest summer for more than 350 years and probably for much longer. The average temperature over the whole summer (June, July, August) was 17.77°C, compared to the average for the unusually warm current decade (2001–2008) of 16.30°C.^[5] There have in other years been hotter specific summer months, though.

The summer was so hot that it is embedded in the national psyche, with subsequent heatwaves in 1995^[6], 1997^[7], 2001^[8] and 2006^[9] all using 1976 as a benchmark.

See also

• Drought in the United Kingdom
• United Kingdom Drought of 1955
• 2003 United Kingdom heat wave
• 2006 United Kingdom heat wave
• Drought

References

v t e Weather events in the United Kingdom Avalanches Lewes, 1836 Buachaille Etive Mòr, 2009 Coldwaves Winter of 1894–1895 Winter of 1946–1947 Winter of 1962–1963 Winter of 1990–1991 February 2009 snowfall Winter of 2009–2010 Winter of 2010–11 February 2012 Floods Bristol Channel, 1607 (disputed tsunami) Holmfirth, 1738, 1777, 1852, 1944 Strathspey, 1829 Sheffield, 1864 Thames, 1928 Thames, 1947 Lynmouth, 1952 North Sea, 1953 South England, 1968 UK, 2000 Glasgow, 2002 Boscastle, 2004 UK, 2007 North Sea, 2007 Morpeth, 2008 Sheffield, 2009 UK, 2009 Droughts and heatwaves 1906 1911 1955 1976 1990 2003 2006 2011 (Spring Autumn) 2012 Thunderstorms Widecombe-in-the-Moor, 1638 Tornadoes London, 1091 Great Malvern, 1761 Birmingham, 2005 London, 2006 West Midlands and Wales, 2011 Windstorms December 1287 November–December 1703 August 1848 October 1859 February 1871 December 1879 January 1881 (blizzard) October 1881 January 1968 October 1987 January 1990 December 1998 January 2007 December 2011 January 2012 See also Climate Drought