Show only key events Please enable JavaScript to use this feature The Met Office has tweeted an infographic showing the hottest days in the UK. The top spot is 38.7C recorded in Cambridgeshire in 2019, followed by 38.5C in Kent in 2003 – the same year many died in France due to the heat wave. All three of the temperatures are from 2000 and two of the others are from the 1990s, apart from an unusually warm day in 1911 when the mercury soared to 36.7C in Northamptonshire (that notorious journalistic cliché is particularly justified here, as mercury thermometers were probably in use at the time).
Train services may not return to normal on Wednesday, Network Rail says
Jake Kelly, a spokesman for Network Rail, warned that returning services to normal on Wednesday “will depend on the damage the weather causes to the infrastructure” during Monday and Tuesday. Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Kelly said: Our very strong advice to customers in England and Wales today and tomorrow is to only travel if absolutely necessary and to expect greatly reduced train services and delays. And of course, as your listeners have heard, on the East Coast Main Line, which is the route from London to destinations such as Peterborough, Leeds and York, tomorrow, unfortunately, there will be no train service and passengers will not have to to travel. We haven’t made any of these decisions lightly, but we haven’t faced these extreme temperatures before. We spend hundreds of millions of pounds a year making the railway more resilient, but ultimately faced with weather conditions like we’ve never faced before, the infrastructure will suffer, so we’ve had to put regulations in place. We hope and expect to run a full service on Wednesday and beyond, but this will depend on the damage the weather causes to the infrastructure over the next couple of days. We have lots of plans to make sure we can run. Updated at 08.53 BST Labor leader Lisa Nandey has accused Boris Johnson and his ministers of “shutting down” during the UK’s first red extreme heat warning. The rising shadow secretary told Sky News: We believe the government needs to do several things: first is to show up for work. He said the prime minister “has clearly bided his time”, adding: “So have many of his ministers in his government.” Nandy said there should be a dedicated Cabinet minister to co-ordinate an emergency response and urged Whitehall to work with local areas to ensure resilience plans are in place to end the current “patchwork” approach. Updated at 08.48 BST Cabinet minister Keith Malthouse spoke about the UK government’s heatwave plans on the broadcast rounds this morning. He told LBC radio “people should do the neighbourhood” and check on elderly people living nearby to “check that they are OK, have access to water, are keeping cool and are looking after themselves”. There is likely to be “significant disruption” to the transport network and people should “consider working from home” if they can, he added. He defended the government’s response, saying the Cobra meetings “make sure we are prepared and then able to communicate a sensible public safety message”. He said it was “very unfair criticism” to attack Boris Johnson for not attending Cobra meetings on the heatwave. He said it was “literally my job” to chair Cobra and Johnson “appoints secretaries of state to do this kind of work and that’s what I did”. Malthouse said France had a heat wave in 2003 and “thousands of old people actually died” so the UK could “learn from that”. We’re not used to this kind of heat and we just have to make sure we’re sensible and moderate and watch out for the next 48 hours.” Updated at 08.49 BST If you’re wondering how to stay cool today, here are some expert tips:
Close the curtains and windows It may seem counterintuitive, but if you let cool air into your home at night and then close the windows when the temperature outside exceeds the temperature inside, you’ll trap the colder air inside. Right now, for example, it’s 25C in London, so keep them open, but you might want to close them around midday when it gets above 30C. Open the windows again when the weather is cool at night – note that the temperature will not drop below 30C in many places until after 11pm. Similarly, draw the curtains in front of any window that faces the sun, although dark curtains and metal blinds can absorb heat – ideally replace them or put reflective material between them and the window. Turn off any equipment that produces heat, such as electrical appliances. Note that electric fans are only useful below 35C. Stay out of the sun Try to avoid being out in the sun during the hottest part of the day, from 11am. until 3 p.m. If you do go outside, wear sunscreen, stick to the shade, bring water with you, and wear light, loose-fitting clothing and a hat. Don’t overexert yourself Avoid exercise or vigorous physical activity during the hottest parts of the day and be careful at all times for the next two days. Medical experts have advised adjusting your behavior, including taking more breaks and making sure to drink plenty of water. Use water WHO suggests hanging wet towels in rooms – while this can increase humidity, it helps cool the air as the water evaporates. A cool shower or bath, cold packs, foot baths or just a splash of water can also help. Look out for others Look out for anyone who may be vulnerable – babies, children, people with heart conditions or the elderly. The Heatwave plan for England also urges people to be alert “and call a doctor or social services if someone is unwell or needs further help”. Know the signs of heatstroke, which can come on quickly and be fatal: headache, feeling sick, dizziness and confusion, excessive sweating, loss of appetite, cramps in the arms, legs and stomach, rapid pulse and feeling thirsty.
Deputy Chief Medical Officer Thomas Waite told GMB this morning: If you see someone experiencing these symptoms, get them in the cool, get them in the shade, give them some fluid to rehydrate, it could be water, it could be sports drinks or rehydration fluids and most people will make a good recovery in about 30 minutes or so. You can read more here: Updated at 08.53 BST Rachel Hall Good morning. The UK is bracing for its hottest day on record, with temperatures forecast to top 40C. High temperatures are expected to linger for the next two days, causing widespread disruption as commuters are told not to travel by train as rails may buckle in the heat and some schools may be closed. The UK’s Health Safety Executive has put in place the first level 4 heat warning to communicate to the public the risk of prolonged high temperatures, meaning that “illness and death may occur among people who are fit and healthy, and not only in high-risk groups”. The UK and other European countries have been seeing regular heatwaves with record temperatures in recent years. Scientists said the link between extreme heat waves and climate change is now clear. I’ll keep you updated on all the latest holidays, along with weather analysis and tips to stay cool for the rest of the day. Get in touch if there’s something going on in your area or if you’ve spotted something we’ve missed – you can contact me at [email protected]
