Britain is forecast to see its hottest day on record on Tuesday in the country’s first-ever national heat emergency. Monday night was expected to be the warmest night ever with highs in the mid-20s in parts, while the rising sun is expected to bring temperatures up to 41C in Yorkshire and 40C in London. The Met Office said some models even forecast highs of 43C – well above the previous record of 38.7C, recorded in 2019. Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said: “I’ve been a qualified meteorologist for 10 years, and telling people about 41C in the UK doesn’t seem real … It’s been quite an eye-opener to climate change with all these temperatures in the UK.” Dozens of schools have closed for Tuesday while others cancelled sports days, school trips and detentions, and relaxed uniform codes. Health authorities have urged people to stay inside during the hottest period of the day, between 11am and 4pm, and wear sun cream, a hat, stay in the shade and keep hydrated with water.
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Britons brace for hottest day on record
Britons are set to melt on the hottest UK day on record as temperatures are predicted to hit 40C today amid growing travel chaos. It comes after the mercury peaked at 38.1C in Santon Downham, Suffolk on Monday, making it the hottest day of the year and the third hottest day on record, after 38.7C in Cambridge in 2019 and 38.5C in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003. The mercury will sizzle at possible highs of 41C in isolated areas today, making the country hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives and Barbados – with rail users warned of delays, cancellations and changes to train services. Rachel Ayers, a Met Office forecaster, told the PA news agency that Britons “have a pretty unprecedented day” today as the temperature will be very hot throughout the day, before rising as high as 40C, maybe even 41C in isolated spots across England during the afternoon. “This will make it the hottest day on record and the first time we have seen temperatures as high as 40C.” Scotland and Wales could also see their hottest days on record. Heatwave warnings for various regions (PA Graphics) Stuti Mishra19 July 2022 04:47 1658196000
Commuters keep away: Traffic and passenger numbers drop in extreme heat
Network Rail said the number of passengers using major stations across Britain on Monday was around 20 per cent down on one week ago, as people were warned to avoid public transport in the extreme heat. Road traffic was also down, with location technology firm TomTom saying congestion at 9am was lower in most UK cities than at the same time last week. In London, congestion levels fell from 53% on July 11 to 42% on Monday. In Birmingham they were down from 46% to 43%, in Manchester they decreased from 45% to 37%, and in Glasgow they dropped from 17% to 12%. Transport for London said fewer people were using the Tube and bus services, down 18 per cent and 10 per cent on last Monday respectively. Train speed restrictions imposed by Network Rail to reduce the chances of tracks buckling in the heatwave caused delays and cancellations. Many operators were running a heavily reduced timetable on Monday and will do so on Tuesday, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Great Northern and Thameslink. London Victoria station was relatively empty during the morning rush hour on Monday (AFP/Getty) Liam James19 July 2022 03:00 1658192400
RAF stops flights to Brize Norton as ‘runway has melted’
The RAF has halted flights in and out of its biggest airbase after the runway reportedly melted on a day of extremely hot weather. RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire was forced to divert traffic to other airfields due to safety concerns, a spokesperson said. A source told Sky News the decision was taken on Monday morning because the runway’s tarmac had melted in the heat. In a statement the RAF confirmed flights were being sent elsewhere as they could not take off safely from Brize Norton. The air force said the diversions had not interfered with military business. “During this period of extreme temperature flight safety remains the RAF’s top priority, so aircraft are using alternative airfields in line with a long-established plan. This means there is no impact on RAF operations,” the statement said. Brize Norton sits in the area of Britain on red alert for extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday, with temperatures on Monday expected to peak at 35C.
RAF stops flights to Brize Norton as ‘runway has melted’
Britain’s biggest air base forced to divert planes due to extreme weather Liam James19 July 2022 02:00 1658188800
Met Office forecaster debunks ‘doctored’ weather map comparison
“Left – old school weather forecast, happy and sunshiny. Right – new style weather forecast, Designed to look like fear and destruction. It’s called summer.” This is the caption of a post which has gone viral on social media showing two maps of the UK – one purportedly during a previous spell of hot weather, and one apparently ahead of the current record heatwave. However, the comparison has drawn ire from the Met Office meteorologist who designed the current heat maps being used. Aidan McGivern told The Independent the post was “incredibly frustrating”, and said the image on the right, supposedly of a recent forecast, was doctored. “This misinformation detracts from the Met Office’s forecasts, warnings and advice on how to stay safe during what is actually an unprecedented spell of extreme temperatures,” he said. He also explained why the heat scale colours had been updated last year.
Met Office forecaster debunks ‘doctored’ weather map comparison
Viral post on social media with faked image claims new Met Office graphics are designed to cause fear Liam James19 July 2022 01:00 1658185200
Heatwaves could lead to devastating wildfires, experts fear
Experts are worried about the possibility of major wildfires tearing through the countryside as temperatures threaten to soar as high as 40C. Wildlife would be “devastated” by such a blaze, with one expert suggesting Britain could face conditions similar to those taking hold in southern Europe. Patches of England were at “exceptional risk” of wildfires on Monday, the Met Office said, with an alert spreading to most of the country for Tuesday. “I haven’t even seen the exceptional category being used in the times I’ve looked at the Wildfire Index before,” Kathryn Brown, the Wildlife Trust’s director for climate action, said. “In southern Europe, we’re seeing these stories of these horrendous wildfires taking hold all over the place and these are the conditions that we’re going to be more prone to. “We need to be much more aware, and the public needs to be much more aware, of the wildfire risk.” Blazes across France, Spain, Portugal and Greece have levelled thousands of acres of land and forced the evacuation of locals and holidaymakers. The National Trust has warned against lighting barbecues or campfires in open countryside and dropping litter such as glass bottles. Firefighter at the scene in Lickey Hills Country Park, Birmingham (Anita Marie/SWNS) Around 60 acres of dry straw in a Shrophsire field caught alight last Thursday (Shropshire Fire and Rescue) Liam James19 July 2022 00:00 1658183456
Fourteen-year-old boy thought to have drowned in Thames
A 14-year-old boy is missing and is believed to have drowned after getting into difficulty in the River Thames in west London. Emergency services and the government have reiterated urgent warnings about the dangers of trying to keep cool after several tragedies in waterways and reservoirs during the heatwave. At just before 5pm on Monday, the Metropolitan Police were alerted by London Ambulance Service to reports that a child had entered the water at Tagg’s Island in Hampton, Richmond. Despite a search by officers, paramedics, London Fire Brigade and members of the public, efforts to find the boy were unsuccessful and the rescue operation was brought to an end at 6.40pm. Efforts to recover his body will continue into the evening, with the boy‘s next of kin aware and being supported by specialist officers. Superintendent Richard Smith, from the South West Command Unit, said: “Despite the very best efforts of all involved, we must now sadly conclude that this young boy has died. “His death is a tragedy and I cannot begin to imagine what his family will be going through. All our thoughts are with them. “I know that on days like today when temperatures are at a record high, it might look appealing to jump in and cool off in rivers, reservoirs, lakes or other open water. “Please don’t. The dangers are real and this evening in Richmond we have seen the terrible consequences of what happens when it goes wrong.” Liam James18 July 2022 23:30 1658181648
All Tory leadership candidates confirm commitment to net zero
All five of the remaining Conservative leadership contenders have committed to meeting net zero by 2050 (Christopher McKeon writes). At a well-attended hustings organised by the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) and chaired by Cop26 President Alok Sharma, the candidates confirmed their commitment to the UK’s net zero target. Prior to the hustings, all the candidates except Kemi Badenoch had signed the CEN’s pledge to maintain the 2050 target. As recently as July 12, the former equalities minister had described net zero policies as “unilateral economic disarmament”, while she has previously called the 2050 target “arbitrary”. But as Britain saw its hottest day of the year on Monday and temperatures approached 40C, Ms Badenoch joined her fellow candidates in committing to the 2050 target.
All Tory leadership candidates confirm commitment to net zero
Kemi Badenoch becomes fifth to commit on Monday as temperatures soared Liam James18 July 2022 23:00 1658178948
Ireland records hottest temperature in more than a century
Ireland has recorded its hottest temperature…
