Gravesend-Broadness weather station closes

No-one is quite sure why this weather station – which the late Tim Channon featured several times here at the Talkshop – so often came top of UK temperature lists, apart from being close to London. But KentLive News offered this believe-it-or-not clue: ‘The soil at Broadness is also said to heat up rather quickly under direct sunlight, which is part of the reason why it records some record breaking temperatures.’ Having only opened in 1995, its short-lived fame – or was it notoriety? – will now have to pass to somewhere else.
H/T PM

A weather station that has recorded some of the hottest temperatures in the UK is no more, reports KentOnline.

It’s been revealed a weather station renowned for recording some of the UK’s hottest temperatures has closed.

The Met Office has decided to shut the Gravesend-Broadness weather station on the Swanscombe peninsula after “significant changes to the site.”

There are plans for a £3.2 billion theme park to be developed on the same land as the station in 2023.

The national weather service would have to undertake considerable structural work to rejuvenate the site, after the level of the ground was risen by the landowner, and has decided to invest in another site.

Operations at the station, which was unmanned, ceased at the end of August. Data had been recorded from the site since September 15 1995.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “Following significant changes to the site hosting the Gravesend weather recording station, we have taken the decision to close the site permanently, especially as there are longer-term development plans for the peninsular which would be likely to affect the consistency of the site’s weather data in future.

“With its location in the south-east of England, the site has held important national temperature records, including recording the highest UK temperature for October: 29.9 C on 1 October, 2011.

Continued here.