Thursday 28 July 2016

Summertime 1976

Remember the Summer of '76 ?


Weeks and weeks of blue skies, warm evenings and mediterranean weather you could rely on. Glorious!
At least that's how I remember it. Searching reports for the facts reveals a preoccupation with the high temperatures of the heatwave and the resulting drought and water shortages.

  • The hottest day of 1976 was June 26, with a high temperature of 34°C
  • The hottest month of 1976 was July with an average daily high temperature of 26°C.
  • The longest warm spell was from June 20 to July 21, constituting 32 consecutive days with warmer than average high temperatures.



Due to the lack of rain there was even a Minister for Drought appointed (Denis Howell). A brown and yellow landscape appeared across the country.

Spectators during Wimbledon tennis fortnight collapsed with heat exhaustion, but ice-cool Bjorn Borg triumphed to win the first of his five singles titles. See Video

For more historic reminders click below: 
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2006/may/17/water.ethicalliving

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