The UK is bracing for its hottest day on record on Tuesday as forecasters said temperatures could reach 41C. The mercury is set to climb higher from Monday – already the hottest day of the year at 38.1C (in Santon Downham, Suffolk), although slightly short of the UK’s all-time heat record of 38.7C .This was done in Cambridge in July 2019, but could be broken today. Rachel Ayers, from the Met Office, told PA Media that Tuesday would be “unprecedented”. He said: “The temperature will be very hot throughout the day, before rising to 40C, perhaps even 41C in isolated spots across England in the afternoon. “This will be the hottest day on record and the first time we have seen temperatures of up to 40C.” Scotland and Wales could also have their hottest days on record. Holyrood minister Keith Brown urged people to “think about whether they need to travel and, if they do, make sure they are properly equipped and plan their journey in advance”. Services will be affected by the heat and National Rail has told customers to only travel if absolutely necessary. The carrier said: “There will be delays, cancellations and last minute changes to rail services due to the unprecedented record heat during those days.” There will be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains running anywhere north of London from London Blackfriars via St Pancras or from London King’s Cross or London Moorgate on Tuesday. Merseyrail said the number of trains and journey times would be severely affected, with some routes being closed entirely. The LNER will not run trains from south of York and south of Leeds to London King’s Cross. Southern, South Eastern, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway are among dozens of train companies running significantly reduced services across the country. Transport for London (TfL) said London’s rail network will also run reduced services on Tuesday due to safety restrictions put in place to deal with the heat. My name is Fran Lawther and I’ll be keeping you up to date with the latest weather news, analysis and tips on how to cope with the heat. Get in touch with any updates from your area. You can email me at [email protected] Updated at 07.51 BST Important events: Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature If you had trouble sleeping last night, here’s a reason: the UK temporarily recorded its warmest night ever from Monday to Tuesday. The mercury never dipped below 25C in places, the Met Office said this morning. This beats the previous nighttime high of 23.9C in Brighton in August 1990. Updated at 08.13 BST London Ambulance Service reported a slight increase in 999 calls for fainting and heat exposure on Monday. Brian Jordan, director of 999 operations for London Ambulance Service, told BBC Radio 4 that the service received 6,600 emergency calls yesterday, slightly lower than predicted. “We really hope it’s because the public really listened to the messages about how they can look after themselves and only call 999 if it’s a real emergency,” Jordan said. “People had a very long day yesterday and there were high temperatures overnight, and with even hotter temperatures today I really can’t stress enough that people should continue to do what we asked them to do yesterday – to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, stay hydrated, look after the most vulnerable friends, family, neighbors and use sunscreen etc.’ For tips on how to deal with the temperatures, my colleague Nicola Davis has this guide to keeping cool: Updated 08.09 BST The Met Office released this graphic to detail what to expect on Tuesday: The hot weather has prompted health warnings as there is a greater risk of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, dehydration as well as respiratory problems due to high pollution. People have been urged to stay inside during the hottest part of the day – between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. – and wear sunscreen, a hat, stay in the shade and hydrate with water. A construction worker digging a road in the Northern Quarter in Manchester wipes sweat from his face. Photo: Joel Goodman/The Guardian There have been warnings about swimming in lakes, rivers and reservoirs after three people died in waters in England and a fourth went missing, believed to have drowned. There is a higher risk of fires, with people not using barbecues or leaving rubbish that could start wildfires – while zoos and wildlife parks have been closed to protect animals, staff and visitors. Water companies are facing “unprecedented peak demand”, with people being encouraged to “consider carefully” their water use and not waste it. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps appeared on Sky News this morning to say that rail and road problems will continue for decades during extreme heatwaves. Asked how long it would take to upgrade the existing rail infrastructure to make it more resilient, Shapps said: “Decades, actually, to replace it all. Same with the asphalt on the roads. “There’s a long process of replacing it and upgrading it to withstand temperatures, either very hot or sometimes much colder than we’re used to, and those are the effects of global warming.” He said no Cobra meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, with the prime minister instead chairing the cabinet. Boris Johnson was accused on Monday of having ‘checked out’, missing an emergency Cobra meeting about the heatwave. Instead, he attended the Farnborough Airshow, where he gave a whimsical talk about completing a loop and a roll on a Typhoon fighter jet. On Tuesday, Shapps denied that Johnson “was vetted.” He said: “It’s not literally true, in fact the exact opposite is true.” Updated at 07:50 BST
An ‘unprecedented’ day ahead as UK temperatures could reach 41C
Good morning and welcome to our extreme weather blog. The UK is bracing for its hottest day on record on Tuesday as forecasters said temperatures could reach 41C. The mercury is set to climb higher from Monday – already the hottest day of the year at 38.1C (in Santon Downham, Suffolk), although slightly short of the UK’s all-time heat record of 38.7C .This was done in Cambridge in July 2019, but could be broken today. Rachel Ayers, from the Met Office, told PA Media that Tuesday would be “unprecedented”. He said: “The temperature will be very hot throughout the day, before rising to 40C, perhaps even 41C in isolated spots across England in the afternoon. “This will be the hottest day on record and the first time we have seen temperatures of up to 40C.” Scotland and Wales could also have their hottest days on record. Holyrood minister Keith Brown urged people to “think about whether they need to travel and, if they do, make sure they are properly equipped and plan their journey in advance”. Services will be affected by the heat and National Rail has told customers to only travel if absolutely necessary. The carrier said: “There will be delays, cancellations and last minute changes to rail services due to the unprecedented record heat during those days.” There will be no Thameslink or Great Northern trains running anywhere north of London from London Blackfriars via St Pancras or from London King’s Cross or London Moorgate on Tuesday. Merseyrail said the number of trains and journey times would be severely affected, with some routes being closed entirely. The LNER will not run trains from south of York and south of Leeds to London King’s Cross. Southern, South Eastern, South Western Railway and Great Western Railway are among dozens of train companies running significantly reduced services across the country. Transport for London (TfL) said London’s rail network will also run reduced services on Tuesday due to safety restrictions put in place to deal with the heat. My name is Fran Lawther and I’ll be keeping you up to date with the latest weather news, analysis and tips on how to cope with the heat. Get in touch with any updates from your area. You can email me at [email protected] Updated at 07.51 BST
