| 1990 United Kingdom heat wave | |
| Start Date: | 1 August 1990 |
| End Date: | 4 August 1990 |
| Areas: | United Kingdom and Ireland |
| Highest Temp C: | 37.1 |
| Highest Temp Location: | Cheltenham, Gloucestershire |
During the 1990 heat wave in the United Kingdom a weather station recorded a temperature of 37.1C for Cheltenham, Gloucestershire,[1] the highest temperature ever known in Britain, one full Fahrenheit degree above the previous record, set in 1911.
Moorland fires were common during the height of the heat wave, occurring in North Yorkshire and the Peak District. Some 100sqmi of the Peak District was closed to the public to try to prevent further fires occurring from careless visitors. Roads were clogged as people flocked to the coast and to holiday resorts throughout the country. Transport was further hampered as train services around the country slowed due to concerns over anomalies in the railway network from the intense heat. Reservoir levels fell, although the Water Services Association assured the public that "most people are still getting their full supply of water without any restrictions at all."[1]
| Station | County / UA | August 1990 maximum temperature[2] | Date | Previous record | Date of previous record | Next record | Date of next record | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bidston | Merseyside | 34.5C | 2 | 31.7C[3] | 22 July 1873 | |||
| Bolton | Greater Manchester | 32.1C | 3 | 31.7C | 27 August 1930 | |||
| Boscombe Down | Wiltshire | 34.2C | 3 | 33.3C | 2 July 1976 | 34.5C | 19 July 2006 | |
| Bradford | West Yorkshire | 32.2C | 3 | 31.1C | 12 August 1953 | |||
| Buxton | Derbyshire | 32.7C | 3 | 30C | 31 July 1943 | |||
| Cambridge Botanic Gardens | Cambridgeshire | 36.5C | 3 | 35.6C | 19 August 1932 | 38.7C | 25 July 2019 | |
| Cardiff (Weather Centre) | Cardiff | 34.5C | 3 | 33.1C | 13 July 1983 | |||
| Cheltenham | Gloucestershire | 37.1C | 3 | 35.9C | 3 July 1976 | |||
| Durham Observatory | County Durham | 32.5C | 3 | 30.6C | 31 July 1943 | |||
| Eastbourne | East Sussex | 32.6C | 4 | 31.6C | 3 July 1976 | |||
| Hampstead | Greater London | 34.6C | 3 | 34.4C | 19 August 1932 | 37.4C | 10 August 2003 | |
| Harrogate | North Yorkshire | 33.1C | 2 | 30.6C | 31 July 1943 | |||
| Hawarden Bridge | Flintshire | 35.2C | 2 | 33C | 3 July 1976 | |||
| Hull | Hull | 34.4C | 3 | 32.8C | 7 July 1941 | |||
| Leuchars | Fife | 30.8C | 2 | 28.9C | 2 July 1933 | |||
| Macclesfield | Cheshire East | 33.1C | 3 | 32.2C | 9 August 1911[4] | |||
| Newport | Telford and Wrekin | 34.8C | 3 | 32C | 3 July 1976 | |||
| Nottingham (Watnall) | Nottinghamshire | 34.6C | 3 | 33.8C | 8 August 1975 | |||
| Prestatyn | Denbighshire | 34.3C | 2 | 32.4C | 3 July 1976 | |||
| Reading | Reading | 35.5C | 3 | 35C | 12 July 1923 | 36.4C | 10 August 2003 | |
| Rothamsted | Hertfordshire | 33.8C | 3 | 33.3C | 19 August 1932 | 35.6C | 10 August 2003 | |
| Sandown | Isle of Wight | 32C | 4 | 31.1C | 16 August 1947 | |||
| Sheffield | South Yorkshire | 34.3C | 3 | 33.5C | 9 August 1911 | |||
| Skegness | Lincolnshire | 32.4C | 3 | 32C | 29 July 1983 | |||
| South Farnborough | Hampshire | 36.2C | 3 | 35.9C | 3 July 1976 | |||
| Southport (Greenbank) | Merseyside | 33.9C | 2 | 32C | 3 July 1976 | |||
| Sutton Bonington | Nottinghamshire | 34.8C | 3 | 32.8C | 12 August 1953 | |||
| Tynemouth | Tyne and Wear | 31.9C | 3 | 28.1C | 16 July 1969 |