Veryfying Records – the novel Met Office approach – Not Fit for Purpose.

GOSPORT FLEETLANDS Image: Google maps. Red Kite marks screen location (coordinates courtesy Met Office.)

24th June 2026 the UK Met Office provisionally declared the all time June record highest temperature was broken (nay “smashed“) according to its “Media Advisor & Senior Operational Meteorologist” Marco Petagna. The Met Office says so but should we blindly take their word for it? I shall examine the very few sites where the Met Office currently claims (pending ratification) that 1976 record was broken and supply the factual evidence for readers to consider and make up their own minds.

To clearly state, nobody doubts this was an extremely rare hot weather event. However, there have been similar hot weather events recorded in the past – it is the question of how modern weather events are being both recorded and reported that is at issue. This image was taken of the Southampton Mayflower Park weather station a few days after it recorded 35.5°C on 27th June 1976 and then 35.6°C the following day 28th June – both readings were the all time national highest for their day.

Image courtesy: Colin Lee, Southampton Heritage Photos 

Whilst this was not the best of sites by any means, at least the hedge was to the north shielding from the road. There certainly were no electronics cabinets strapped to the stand as per the absurdity at Kew Gardens with no fewer that three white boxes attached and all manner of paraphernalia including “chicken wire” frames. This was a manually read site as all but maybe 2 or 3 were then and in this case just once daily at 09:00. The thermometers used were the traditional Liquid In Glass variants (LIGT).

Here are the archived readings of that period. Column “I” denotes daily maximums and column “J” daily minimums. These clearly indicate that extended periods of 30+°C are by no means unprecedented. I do wonder what type of “melt down” modern news channels would make of 13 consecutive days so high. In those days the Sun newspaper settled for “Phew what a Scorcher“

Mayflower Park weather station closed down in 2003 with the site subsequently built upon. Today it bears no resemblance to its former park status with the children’s play park, paddling pools and seventies sun worshippers consigned to history. So what of those sites that 50 years later allegedly/provisionally “broke” these records? There were surprisingly very few indeed and those that did, some may say, have exceptionally dubious provenance and a high degree of readings uncertainty.

Firstly a look at those sites in the “Red Warning” heat/health alert area – {N.B. this “alert” system was first introduced in 2004.} London has a well documented and also very severe Urban Heat Island effect. If anywhere will record hot it is likely to be within the M25 orbital road…….. but none did.

This is a list of all automatic reporting stations in that Red Alert Zone” that did NOT break the record. {Data courtesy of Weatherobs which records the hourly time stamp readings PLUS the highest temperature reached any time within the last 7 days} Bear in mind everyone of these sites does NOT use traditional LIGT and will be using instant recording electronic Platinum Resistance Thermometers (PRT) with readings every 15 seconds and 4 readings averaged for 1,440 individual minutes readings per day. These modern devices are fitted in Stevenson Screens which are known to consistently overheat in low wind speed conditions.

Teddington Bushy Park 35.1°C,

Chertsey Abbey Mead (surrounded by its solar panels) 35.5°C

Heathrow 35.3°C

Iver Water Works 34.4°C

Kew Gardens 35.1°C

RAF Northolt 34.3°C

Cippenham Sewerage Works 34.1°C

Reading White Nights 35.1°C

South Farnborough 34.9°C

Alice Holt Lodge 35.2°C

Odiham 34.6°C

(RAF) Thorney Island 34.9°C

Hurn Airport 35.2°C

Otterbourne Water Works 35.5°C

RAF Boscombe Down 34.7°C

RAF Middle Wallop 35.1°C

Hurstmonceux 34.2°C

RNAS Yeovilton 33.8°C

It comes in as rather handy for reference purposes for the general public when almost every UK Met Office station is factually referenced and reviewed as each and everyone of the sites above has been.

Now moving on to those sites that did “break” the record.

Charlwood 35.7°C just 0.1°C higher. Installed in 2002 this was a tripod mounted ” temporary unit” and probably still is. Recent google aerial imagery shows the screen in the extreme corner of the wire fence enclosure close to the hedging and the large metal structure still in situ – it looked like this

For those not familiar with the geography of south east England this weather station lies at the west southwestern end of a famous local landmark – Gatwick Airport. The red kite marks the Stevenson Screen.

Some points to consider over and above the poor immediate site location and its orientation are that wind speed at time of recording that high was from the east north east (i.e straight down the full length of the runway) and was a very slack 6 kilometres per hour well below adequate screen ventilation.

It might be reasonable to assume that any readings taken directly at Gatwick airport itself would be much higher but, in reality, that is not the case in fact the reverse is true. How can that be with all those aircraft, buildings and tarmac? It is because aviation meteorological units are vastly superior to standard Met office ones and use artificially ventilated sensors to overcome the still air overheating problems. London Gatwick METAR: EGKK SYNOP: 03776 only registered 35°C Are the Met Office
Victorian screens designed for traditional LIGT really suitable for 21st century technology? Evidence suggest certainly not and the World Meteorological Organisation clearly states artificial ventilation should be employed for accurate readings.

Wiggonholt 35.9°C was only installed in 1995 and is CIMO assessed as Class 5 – a reminder of the 100% lack of any siting requirement to achieve this perversely low standard for a government agency to use.

“2.6 Class 5 (additional estimated uncertainty added by siting up to 5 °C)
Site not meeting the requirements of class 4″

This site is almost a parody of what a weather station should look like complete with shade screen for outdoor guided tour lectures. No credible meteorological organisation should award records to this appallingly low grade site. Were this an amateur site trying to claim a record, the Met Office would dismiss it out of hand. Image from Rob chapman and google streetview.

Royal Horticultural Society Wisley 36°C. This is deliberately created artificial micro climate for horticultural purposes. To suggest that this is in anyway a natural site is an absurdity. the RHS themselves ptoudly claim it is an intentionally modified area for the benefit of growing more exotic and frail plants. There is no way this reading represents the natural unmodified environment and no horticulturalist or gardener would ever claim it does. This site will effectively always record warmer than the natural unmodified surroundings simply because it is intended to do exactly that. The changes to the site, especially in recent years make its temperature readings on an ever upward ascent. RHS Hilltop and the Woodford Garden are both very recent additions further modifying the local microclimate.

This ultimately leads to the last record breaker of Gosport Fleetlands. This is a military restricted area – not only can you not look at the recording instruments you CANNOT even view any of its historic readings online. Why are its observations not shown? Because it is not a climate reporting site.

In the same way as I highlighted at Plymouth Kinterbury Point (and the Met Office confirmed) data is not recorded here as it is purely for onsite aviation requirements. This email is directly from one of their press officers to Paul Homewood regarding the Plymouth site{N.B. the Met Office has numerous similar customer specific sites neither intended for synoptic nor climate reporting purposes}

“Subject: Plymouth Kinterbury

Hi Paul, thank you for your enquiry.

I have checked the weather station you mentioned in your enquiry and it has come to light that an administrative error resulted in data from this site recently making it on to our external website for extremes.

This is a customer-only site and as such is used to inform the customer’s specific decisions rather than being used for public records. As this site is used to provide very specific customer information, which is not climate related, it therefore does not have a CIMO rating and should not be available for our external website for extremes. The issue has now been resolved and will no longer be seen in any of our products.

Thank you for making us aware of this.

Nicky

Nicola Maxey BSc (Hons) Senior Press Officer”

The Gosport site appears to have drifted on to the Met Office daily climate extremes web page for no other reason than entertainment purposes to such an extent that the Met Office themselves now seem to think it is a representative site.

I raised this above point in a Twitter (X) post to which the Met Office Media Advisor (of “smashing” fame above) succeeded in embarrassing both himself AND his employers. Apparently Chinook helicopters (31 metres from rotor tip to tip) only need 25 metre “runways” and have no take off, air taxiing and landing rotor wash. Most odd indeed to call Helipads “runways” and rather indicative of serious incompetence.

The dubious nature of Gosport is not just a Talkshop issue, Dr Eric Huxter has also analysed in depth data from this and other sites against benchmark standards. Gosport is a notorious “star performer” in the daily highs stakes as Eric details here. It is also demonstrably very unreliable.

Spike Analysis: 1 year on

In conclusion, when given the real world evidence of what is actually taking place, a different picture emerges. Southern England and Wales is experiencing a hot weather event. The numbers being attributed to this event are not in ant significant way different from any previous hot weather event. The numbers being attributed, however, are from dubious sources and likely over recording when compared to past events. The major change is the media circus and the “ideologically captured” government agency combining to hype the situation massively out of all proportion. This is, after all, just weather and the Met Office knows that.

Finally as I type – another day, another claimed record. I shall update tomorrow on this AND will be checking whether or not yesterday’s readings are in fact verified – they may well not be but, of course, the “predicition” will stay in the memories of many even if those “possible 40°C+” never actually happened.

Source: https://tallbloke.wordpress.com/2026/06/25/veryfying-records-the-novel-met-office-approach-not-fit-for-purpose/