One year since hottest day on record in Northamptonshire as temperatures soared to 40C

Looking out the window in Northamptonshire today (July 19, 2023), you are met with clouds, little sun and people walking around in trousers and maybe even jackets.

But this time last year, that picture was very different!

Some schools were shut, the Met Office was warning us to stay inside, people were wearing as little as was acceptable and everyone was struggling to sleep.

What happened on July 19, 2022?

• On this day in 2022, the hottest day ever in Northamptonshire was recorded. As authorities warned of health risks associated with heatwaves, the weather station at Pitsford saw a reading of 40.2C, beating the 36.7°C recorded in Raunds in 1911, which had stood as the county’s hottest day for 111 years.
• A red Met Office warning was in place.
• Barbeques were banned in woodland areas.
• Firefighters in Northamptonshire dealt with six times as many calls, as heat sparked a series of fires across the county, including a field fire at Althorp Estate.
• All trains were cancelled on both major routes through Northamptonshire leaving some passengers stranded.
• Northants Highways spread sand on roads in a bid to stop the highways melting.
• A number of schools across opened only to key worker children, with other students being taught remotely, in a bid to protect their safety.
• Northampton Town’s pre-season friendly against AFC Rushden & Diamonds was postponed.
• McManus Pubs closed its kitchens at Brampton Halt and the Sun Inn, Hardingstone, as they felt it was not right to ask chefs to run the kitchens as normal.
• Councils closed all recycling centres at around 1pm, for the safety of staff and members of the public.
• Town councillors in Raunds opened Saxon Hall as refuge from the heat.
• NN Weather recorded temperatures still in the high 30s at around 6.30pm.

Following the extreme weather, Met Office chief of science and technology, Professor Stephen Belcher, warned the UK could see record temperatures every three years.

He added: "Research here at the Met Office has demonstrated it is virtually impossible for the UK to see 40°C in an undisrupted climate. Climate change driven by greenhouse gases has made that possible.”

Although, no such thing has happened as yet this year. And the forecast very much remains the same for the next week or so with highs of 20C and plenty of rain and cloud around.