The summer of 1976

When the Brits complain about the weather (a national pastime) many people make reference to the glorious summer of 1976, the bench mark to which all decent summers must be compared. There were 15 consecutive days of temperatures above 32 degrees in this particular year, with a top temp of 35.9 degrees. Yesterday this paled into insignificance in the UK as the highest temperature ever was recorded at Gravesend, Kent, a sweltering 38.1 degrees.