On July 25th 2019 the UK saw a new record maximum temperature of 38.7C at Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Understandably this made big news. It was one of a number of high temperature records set in 2019 and if you think you hear more about hot weather records than cold ones, you'd be right.
I remember July 25th 2019 very well. The day had been flagged in advance as a very hot one, the peak of a heatwave and one that could see the UK's highest temperature yet.
I was on presenting duty that day and every hour we were following the latest temperatures as they came in to see just how high they went.
At the end of the day itself it seemed as though the record hadn't been broken and a temperature of 38.5C at Brogdale in Kent in 2003 would stand as the UK's highest. But not all temperature data comes in instantly and the next day the Met Office announced it was verifying a higher temperature from Cambridge.
A few days later the Met Office confirmed it was satisfied the temperature had reached 38.7C in Cambridge and the UK did indeed have a new maximum temperature record.
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