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From Weather Almanac 2026: June
upon investigation by the Met Office it was found that a stationary vehicle was parked nearby with its engine running and the record was rejected.
I have questions.
How long after the temperature was recorded did the Met Office investigate? Immediately? Within hours? A day or more later? What is the process of investigation? How did they even know that the car was there at that time?
I asked Gemini to look into it, and as you’d expect, the Met Office has a strict auditing process for any history-making weather anomalies. While the Motherwell reading of 33.2°C initially seemed plausible on that scorching afternoon of 28 June 2018, all potential national records trigger a deeper dive.
Within a week, the record was officially debunked. Because the weather station sits in Strathclyde Country Park, an on-site observer realized that a vehicle had been left idling right next to the Stevenson screen (the enclosure that houses the thermometers) during the peak afternoon heat.
The full story is on the Met Office blog.
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Today’s walk: Batemans in springtime
Maybe it was early summer rather than late spring? It depends on whether you are looking at meterological or astronomical summer, I suppose. Either way, it was a lovely walk.
Just like our last visit, we used it as a stop-off on the way back from Margate. It was even more useful this time because they now have EV charging available.
We had a beautiful stroll through the meadows, followed by a walk up a small hill that gave us a gorgeous view back over Sussex.
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Tap user guide
When you need a “Tap user guide” in a restaurant toilet, you know the design wasn’t as clear as it could have been! This example is from Babble in Hove.
I know this is not a new observation, but it is one that stands out to me much more now after a recent trip. Back in February, I travelled to Scotland with a partially sighted friend. While we were at Gatwick Airport, I had to guide her through how to use the taps, soap, and hand dryer. She already had very little independence on that trip, but losing the ability to even wash her hands without help was something neither of us had expected. It just seems so unnecessary.
If we design things to be universally easy to use, then everyone benefits. Plus, nobody needs to spend time creating user guides for taps.
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