Phew, What A Scorcher!
England has been basking in a spell of unusually warm weather and that, at least, has helped take minds off the national soccer team’s thumping defeat at the hands of Germany in the World Cup.
London has seen temperatures over the past few days as high as 30 degrees Celsius (86F) and whenever this happens, the newspapers here always make a comparison with holiday destinations around the world. ‘Hotter than Bermuda!’ ‘More sun hours than on the Costa del Sol!’
Regrettably, this happens for only about four days a year, but it’s fun while it lasts. Tourists would surely be disappointed if they didn’t see the slate-grey skies and rain which they’ve been told to expect on arrival in the UK.
The other thing that happens during a British mini-heatwave is that bookmakers stir from their slumbers and offer odds against all kinds of eventualities.
For example, you can get 10/1 that the highest ever UK temperature (38.5C/101.3F recorded at Brogdale, near Faversham in Kent, in 2003) will be beaten. And 5/6 that there will be no rain delays for the whole of the Wimbledon tennis championships.
Incidentally, I notice that the midday temperature in Lahore, Pakistan is currently 44C (111.2F). Now that is a scorcher.
by Andy Moreton
