jbullen@thekmgroup.co.uk

Amateur weatherman Brian Lewis recorded August’s hottest day in years after watching the mercury rocket past 30 degrees – six months after seeing it plunge to -11C.

The would-be meteorologist, 68, has been monitoring extremes of hot and cold temperatures for more than 50 years, recording a sweltering 30.6C on Saturday from his home in Elham.

He said Saturday’s heatwave provided the month’s hottest weather in years but predicted temperatures would remain cooler until next year.

He said: "It was the hottest August day for a number of years, well above the seasonal average. It was 17 degrees higher than typical August weather.

"I don’t think it is likely that it will get hotter at this time of year.

"With September just around the corner, we won’t get the humidity or the stickiness and it isn’t uncommon for the first frost at the end of the month.

"The unpredictability of the weather is what makes it interesting. My favourite time of year is winter. I love snow and predicting snowfall."

In February, Mr Lewis recorded the coldest day he had experienced in 50 years when the mercury plunged to -11C, evoking memories of the big freeze in 1962/63.

However, despite the contrasting temperatures within the last six months, he dismissed global warming as the reason for the extremes.

He said: "In 1962/3 there were people suggesting a new ice age. We just seem to get through spells of extremes, but I’m not a great believer in global warming."

He also said Canterbury was a peculiar place to record weather because of its proximity to the sea and central Europe.