A new record has been set today for the highest-ever temperature recorded in Jersey during May.
As the mercury soared beyond 29°C, the Infrastructure and Environment Department moved to play down concerns about the potential for seawater pollution following heavy rain at the start of the week.
The temperature surpassed the previous record of 28.9°C, dating from 20 May 2003, during the early afternoon, with Jersey Met confirming that should the temperature reach the forecast maximum of 30°C, it would be the earliest date in the year that this figure had been reached. The previous mark was set on 6 June 1996, when a high of 30.7°C was recorded.
Routine testing for bacteria carried out last week led to “poor” ratings for four of the 16 locations monitored weekly between May and September, but officials said there were unlikely to be ongoing concerns, with such results commonly reported after heavy rainfall.
The areas with high readings beyond the threshold between good and poor were Victoria Pool and Havre des Pas in St Helier, Long Beach at Grouville and Plemont in St Ouen. Green Island was marked as good, while the other 11 locations were marked excellent.
The results were highlighted on several social media sites, prompting mixed feedback from Islanders, with some expressing concern and others saying there was nothing abnormal.
The Infrastructure and Environment said in a statement: “Routine bacteriological seawater sampling taken on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 May at Plemont, Grouville, Havre des Pas and Victoria Pool has identified unacceptable levels of bacteria in seawater in these locations.
“However, we believe that the poor results are due to significant rainfall events on Sunday and Monday – heavy rainfall events cause run-off from land into the sea and we believe that the poor results are due to this natural occurrence.
“General public health advice is to avoid entering the sea for at least 48 hours following heavy rainfall events.”
Another round of routine sampling is scheduled to be carried out on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Since the heavy rain experienced at the start of the week, the Island has seen gradually drier and hotter conditions, and today a new record all-time high for May was achieved.
Should the temperature reach similar levels on both Monday and Tuesday, this would meet Jersey Met’s official definition of a heatwave: maximum temperatures of 28°C for three consecutive days.
Hot weather advice was emphasised by Public Health Officials on Friday, with Islanders recommended to cool off indoors during the hottest time of day, when the UV is at its strongest, leaving strenuous activities for later in the day when it is cooler, drinking plenty of water and avoiding coffee and alcohol amd using sun cream and hats when outside.
The heat didn’t stop hundreds of bikers from taking part in the annual Big Ride Out on Sunday morning, which saw a procession of motorbikes being ridden across the Island from St Catherine’s Breakwater to St Ouen’s Bay, raising money for the charity Holidays for Heroes.
The UK has also experienced high temperatures, with a figure of 30.3°C recorded at Frittenden in Kent yesterday, and a forecast of higher temperatures to come, possibly breaking the all-time May temperature record for the UK, which currently stands at 32.8°C, measured at Camden Square in London on 22 May 1922, and equalled at Horsham (West Sussex), Tunbridge Wells (Kent) and Regent’s Park (London) on 29 May 1944.
