Britons wake up to a very hot Tuesday after warmest-ever night

Millions of people in Britain woke on Tuesday from the country’s warmest-ever night, and braced for a day when temperatures were forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius, as a heat wave scorching Europe walloped a country more used to mild weather and rain.

The UK’s Met Office weather agency said provisional figures showed the temperature remained above 25 degree C overnight in parts of the country for the first time. Met Office forecaster Rachel Ayers said Tuesday’s highs would be unprecedented. “The temperature will be very hot throughout the day, before rising as high as 40 C, maybe even 41 C in isolated spots across England during the afternoon,” she said.

A huge chunk of England, from London in the south to Manchester and Leeds in the north, is under the country’s first warning of extreme heat, meaning there is danger of death even for healthy people, as the hot,  dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the past week moved north.

Advised to stay indoors

A national emergency is in place in the country. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office have issued their first-ever red alert for extreme heat, warning of danger to life from the extreme heat.

“We may well see the hottest day in UK history,” said Professor Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office. She urged the people to take the warnings seriously as they would take any forecast of a storm or other harsh weather conditions.

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“These temperatures are unprecedented and we are not used to dealing with them. Heat causes many hundreds or thousands of excess deaths, so people need to follow the advice of keeping the shade, keeping cool and hydrated,” she added.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Britain is 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019.

People are being warned of major disruption to journeys by train and car. Downing Street authorities said that the railway speed restrictions may be needed “on some parts of the network… to manage the hot weather and to avoid any potential damage.

Very hot temperatures can affect rails, overhead power lines and signalling equipment, as well as “bend and buckle” tracks, the authorities said.

Network Rail, which runs the country’s railway networks, warned that journeys will take significantly longer and delays are likely. It, along with Transport for London (TfL), is strongly encouraging customers not to travel on Monday and Tuesday.

Travel plans

“Due to the exceptionally hot weather that is expected… customers should only use London’s transport network for essential journeys. If customers do need to travel, they should check before they travel as we are expecting there to be some impact to Tube and rail services,” said TFL chief operating officer Andy Lord.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that he supports calls for some industries to adapt working hours to make sure employees aren’t in danger in the hottest temperatures.
New buildings now have cooling systems, rely on renewable energy and are insulated, he said.

Some schools have also decided to cancel planned sports days or shut down, with others keeping some staff on site and allowing children to wear their cooler sports uniforms if their parents are unable to find childcare at short notice.

The majority of UK schools are set to break up for the summer holidays later in the week and might accelerate that date.

(With agency inputs)