England will no longer be under the highest level of heat alert as storms were set to sweep Britain after yesterday’s record temperatures. A level 4 heat and health alert has been lifted for all nine regions of England, the UKHSA said, as temperatures are expected to drop by more than 10 degrees Celsius. Yesterday was the hottest day on record in the country’s history with temperatures exceeding 40C for the first time, forcing schools to close and the transport system into disarray due to the extreme heat. Major fires have damaged property in London, Yorkshire and Kent as hundreds of firefighters desperately battled the blaze amid very dry and sweltering conditions. Several fire services have declared major incidents due to pressure on services. The new UK record temperature of 40.3C was recorded at Coningsby in Lincolnshire yesterday. The record before Tuesday was 38.7 degrees Celsius at Cambridge Botanic Gardens on July 25, 2019. Rail users are being warned of delays, cancellations and changes to train routes, while dozens of schools have been closed, ahead of warnings of further storm disruption today.
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Temperatures drop above 10C as the Met warns of heavy rain
A heatwave is set to hit today as temperatures are expected to plummet above 10C, with the Met Office issuing a yellow storm warning for parts of south-east, east and central England in the afternoon and evening. It warns people to expect flooding or lightning, delays and some cancellations to train and bus services, spray and flash flooding, road closures and possible power outages. It will be cooler for most parts, although some parts of East Anglia will still see temperatures reach up to 30C. The Met says today’s rain, where it occurs, will be much heavier than yesterday. The latest satellite and radar images, tweeted by the Met, show where the rain hit last night, with some lightning as well. Stuti Mishra20 July 2022 06:26 1658291644
How the heatwave exposes the scale of the climate leadership gap
Across Western Europe, newspaper front pages are all varying shades of red and yellow – the colors of forest fire flames and weather maps brought on by a brutal, record-setting heatwave estimated to kill thousands of people, writes Harry Cockburn. For decades, climate scientists have warned that increasing greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use would mean more frequent and more severe heat waves. But emissions are still rising, and no country has a coherent plan to quickly curb pollution and divert us from the suicidal road we’re headed down.
Mass deaths and wildfires: Heatwave exposes scale of climate leadership gap
Governments are failing to tackle ‘existential issue’ as frustration and fear rise, experts say Stuti Mishra20 July 2022 05:34 1658290516
At least 10 people die in open water during UK heat wave
At least 10 people have died after running out of water during the unprecedented heat wave currently hitting the UK. A boy aged just 13 was the youngest person to die in recent days and a charity warned the toll could rise as schools break up for the summer holidays. With temperatures hitting 40 degrees in England for the first time in history on Tuesday, the Met Office also put in place its first ‘red’ heat alert. He warned of “significantly more people visiting coastal areas, lakes and rivers, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents”.
At least 10 people die in open water during UK heat wave
Four teenagers among those who drowned in water bodies in recent days Stuti Mishra20 July 2022 05:15 1658289386
Fires continue to burn across UK after temperatures hit 40C
Fires continue to destroy homes and buildings across the UK after temperatures soared above 40C in the UK for the first time. A total of six locations, mainly in Greater London, saw temperatures reach or exceed 40C. Scotland experienced its hottest day on record, with temperatures reaching 34.8C in Charterhall in the Scottish Borders, according to provisional Met Office figures. Amid the sweltering heat, two “large-scale” incidents occurred in Upminster and the village of Wennington, east London, where black smoke billowed into the air while flames destroyed buildings and ravaged nearby fields. Several other major incidents also occurred in the capital, with people urged not to have barbecues or bonfires due to the “unprecedented” challenges crews are facing.
Fires continue to burn across the UK after temperatures hit 40C, hottest on record
A new record for the hottest day ever seen, at 40.3C, was temporarily set in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on Tuesday afternoon. Stuti Mishra20 July 2022 04:56 1658286000
The body of a missing 14-year-old swimmer has been found in the River Thames
Police have found the body of a 14-year-old boy who drowned while swimming in the River Thames. The teenager is believed to have fallen into difficulty after entering the water at Tagg Island in Richmond, west London, on Monday during the UK’s record-breaking heat wave. The Metropolitan Police initially received reports of the incident at 4.43pm on Monday and officers attended the scene along with paramedics and firefighters. The three emergency services launched a search with members of the public to find the boy, but called it off at 6.40pm without finding him. Later in the evening, police announced that the boy was believed to have drowned. Another search was launched and the boy’s body was recovered from the river at around 3.30pm on Tuesday.
The body of a missing 14-year-old swimmer has been found in the River Thames
The search for the teenager lasted almost a day before the body was recovered Liam James20 July 2022 04:00 1658282400
Drone footage shows a huge fire on a Welsh beach as UK temperatures soar
Drone footage shows flames and smoke billowing from a hill above Newgale Beach in Pembrokeshire, where flames broke out on both Sunday and Monday (writes Andy Gregory). Roo Chatter, a 46-year-old surfer who captured the video, was out on the water when he spotted the fire, which he described as “completely out of control” and “the biggest the area has seen in quite some time”. By the end of the day, all the ground had burned toward a nearby campsite and around a cottage, he said.
Drone footage shows a huge fire on a Welsh beach as UK temperatures soar
Firefighters are tackling 24 fires in just two days in England and Wales Liam James20 July 2022 03:00 1658278800
Fire services declare major incidents as record heat fuel burns across UK
Emergency services in London, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire have declared major incidents due to the fires raging on Britain’s hottest day on record. Firefighters tackled at least 22 blazes and hundreds of smaller blazes across England and Wales as temperatures of over 40C were recorded for the first time in the UK. Here’s a full rundown of the wildfires sweeping the country:
Fire services declare major incidents as record heat fuel burns across UK
Britain’s hottest day is stretching fire services to the limit Liam James20 July 2022 02:00 1658275200
Nine of Britain’s hottest days have occurred in the past 20 years
Nine of the UK’s 12 hottest days on record since 1884 have occurred in the past two decades. Tuesday’s temporary record high at Coningsby in Lincolnshire of 40.3C means four of the five hottest days have occurred between 2019 and 2022. Only one of the 12 warmest days occurred before 1990. Met Office figures show that peaks in the UK’s daily maximum temperature are becoming more frequent and more recent. A similar trend is evident in the figures showing the UK’s annual average maximum temperature. Seven of the top 10 average annual maximum temperatures since 1884 have occurred since the beginning of this century, with 2020 ranking fourth and 2018 seventh. The year 2014 currently holds the record for the highest average maximum temperature, while 1976, often cited for its long summer heatwave, ranks 42nd. Liam James20 July 2022 01:00 1658271660
Health alert eased as record day closes
England will no longer be under the highest level of heat alert as Wednesday is expected to be cooler than Tuesday’s record highs. The level 4 heat alert has been lifted from all nine regions of England from Wednesday July 20, the UKHSA said. The East Midlands, East of England and Yorkshire and Humber regions will remain under alert level 3 until 9am. of Thursday, July 21. UKHSA said this means it is important to continue to follow public health advice in these areas. Temperatures for the rest of the week are unlikely to top 30C as the country cools down from a spell of extreme heat, but Britain is likely to see similar highs again due to climate change. Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “The very high temperatures have peaked this week, but it has been a wake-up call to the very real effects of climate change and the serious health impacts we will have us”. Liam James20 July 2022 00:01 1658268602
Residents displaced by the fire worry their homes are gone
Residents in Wennington described the blaze which has destroyed homes as their ‘worst nightmare’. Locals were evacuated from their homes in the east London village on Tuesday afternoon as black smoke billowed into the air, while flames destroyed buildings and ravaged nearby fields. A rescue center for residents has been set up at the Premier Inn in New Road. Riminta Maceikaite, 38, and her son Nikas Janulevicius, 13, said their neighbors’ houses were burned, but as far as they could see from television footage, their house was still standing. Ms Maceikaite said they were “very worried” about their home, adding: “When you look at a camera when it’s pointing at you from the sky, it’s just freaking…
