On 3 August 1990, Britain recorded its highest temperature since reliable national observations began, when the mercury reached 37.1°C at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.
The reading, equivalent to almost 99°F, exceeded a record that had stood for nearly 79 years and became the defining measurement of an exceptional early-August heatwave.
A new national record
Temperatures climbed across much of England and Wales as hot continental air moved northwards over the country. The most intense conditions affected the Midlands, southern England and parts of eastern Britain.
Cheltenham’s reading of 37.1°C broke the previous British record of 36.7°C, which had been reached at several locations during the famously hot summer of 1911.
Numerous individual weather stations also established local records. Temperatures exceeded 32°C across a wide area, including places in northern England where such heat was particularly unusual.
Contemporary accounts described people seeking relief wherever they could find it. In Nailstone, Leicestershire, a postmistress reported that villagers had been putting their heads inside the post office’s refrigerated cabinet to cool down.
This Leicestershire anecdote featured prominently in reports of the day and has sometimes led to Nailstone being identified as the location of the national record. The officially recognised 37.1°C measurement, however, was recorded at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire.
Britain struggles with the heat
The high temperatures placed pressure on transport networks and public services. Railway operators introduced speed restrictions in some areas because of concern that tracks could buckle in the heat.
Roads became congested as people travelled towards beaches, swimming pools and holiday destinations. Reservoir levels were falling following an extended period of relatively dry weather, although widespread restrictions on domestic water supplies were avoided.
There were also fires on moorland and other areas of dry ground. Parts of the Peak District were closed to visitors as the authorities attempted to reduce the danger of further outbreaks.
The heat was uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for elderly people, young children and those with existing health conditions. In 1990, however, Britain did not yet have the formal system of extreme-heat warnings and public-health alerts that would be introduced in later decades.
A record that lasted 13 years
The Cheltenham figure remained Britain’s official temperature record until 10 August 2003, when 38.5°C was recorded at Faversham in Kent during another major European heatwave.
That record was surpassed on 25 July 2019, when Cambridge University Botanic Garden reached 38.7°C.
Britain then crossed the 40°C threshold for the first time on 19 July 2022. The Met Office verified a temperature of 40.3°C at Coningsby in Lincolnshire, exceeding the 2019 record by 1.6°C.
On that day, 46 weather stations recorded temperatures above the previous national record, demonstrating the exceptional geographical extent of the heat.
Why the 1990 record mattered
The measurement at Cheltenham was a major moment in British meteorological history. A record established before the First World War had survived the celebrated summers of 1976 and 1983, only to be broken during a short but exceptionally intense spell of heat.
At the time, a temperature approaching 100°F appeared extraordinary for Britain. The record attracted national attention because it challenged familiar assumptions about the limits of the country’s generally temperate climate.
Although the figure has since been surpassed three times, the heatwave of August 1990 remains historically significant. It provided an early example of the disruption that extreme temperatures could cause to transport, water supplies, the countryside and public health.
The progression from 37.1°C in 1990 to 40.3°C in 2022 also provides a striking illustration of how Britain’s recorded temperature extremes have changed within little more than three decades.