The warning covers Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in England could reach 40C for the first time, the Met Office said. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK is 38.7C, set in 2019. “We were hoping we wouldn’t get to this situation, but for the first time we’re forecasting over 40C in the UK,” Met Office scientist Nikos Christidis said. “In a recent study we found that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK is increasing and will continue to increase over the course of the century, with the most extreme temperatures expected to be seen in the south-east of England.” ⚠️⚠️🔴 Red warning issued for extreme heat 🔴⚠️⚠️ Parts of England on Monday and Tuesday Latest information 👉 pic.twitter.com/YHaYvaGh95 —@metoffice It is the first red warning under the Met Office’s extreme heat warning system, which was introduced in 2021. The UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) has raised its own alert to the highest level, warning of a “national emergency”. “At this level, illness and death can occur among people who are fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups,” UKHSA said. The two agencies issued lower-level warnings earlier this week as large areas of the UK experienced warmer-than-normal temperatures, although cooler weather prevailed on Thursday and Friday. Temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend before peaking on Monday and Tuesday. WATCHES | Scenes from the heat wave in Europe:
Wet UK sees 1st ‘red’ warning, Europe faces heatwaves and wildfires
Britain’s Met Office has issued its first ‘red’ warning ahead of extreme heat. Europe also saw scorching weather throughout the week as parts of France and Portugal battled wildfires.
Heat Shows Urgent Need to Adapt: Climate Expert
The weather alert, which covers a large swath of England from London north to Manchester, also warns of possible disruption to air and rail travel and potential local “loss of power and other essential services such as water or mobile phone services”. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge described the situation as “very serious”. “If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, now is the time to make sure they are taking the appropriate measures so they can cope with the heat,” he said. “Because if the forecast is what we think it’s going to be in the red warning area, then people’s lives are at risk.” Hannah Cloke, a climate expert at Britain’s University of Reading, said the heat wave showed that climate change is here and there is an urgent need to adapt. “It’s harder to deal with these types of temperatures in the UK because we’re just not used to them,” he told Reuters. “We don’t have the houses designed to keep cool, we don’t have air conditioning and our infrastructure is not built for the heat at all.” Pedestrians cool their feet in the water of the Trafalgar Square fountain in central London on Wednesday. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images)Spectators admire themselves as they watch a UEFA Women’s Euro match between Austria and Northern Ireland at St. Mary in Southampton, southern England, on Monday. (Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images)
Many European countries are fighting fires
As sweltering heat sweeps the continent, hundreds more people were forced from their homes amid blistering conditions in France, Spain and Portugal on Friday. More than 1,000 firefighters, supported by bomber aircraft, have been battling since Tuesday to control two wildfires in southwestern France that have been fanned by scorching heat, dusty conditions and strong winds. More than 7,000 hectares of land have been consumed by the fires, according to the regional emergency service. This image provided by the fire department of France’s Gironde region shows firefighters putting out a fire near Landiras, southwestern France, on Thursday. (SDIS 33/The Associated Press) In Spain, the Environment Ministry said it was helping to tackle 17 forest fires across the country. In the Spanish city of Seville, one of the hottest spots in Europe this week, some unions called for workers to be sent home. Temperatures in many parts of Spain have exceeded 40C for several days and are expected to continue to do so into next week. Although temperatures dropped slightly in Portugal, they were still expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius in some areas, with five areas on red alert and more than 1,000 firefighters battling 17 forest fires, authorities said. An Air Tractor AT-802F ‘Fire Boss’ plane participates in firefighting operations in Pombal, Portugal on Thursday. (Octavio Passos/Getty Images)
Some hospitals were overwhelmed
Portugal’s Health Minister Marta Temido said on Thursday that the health system faced a “particularly worrying” week because of the heat and said some hospitals were overwhelmed. From July 7 to July 13, Portugal recorded 238 excess deaths due to the heat, the country’s health authority announced. Spain recorded 84 excess deaths attributed to extreme temperatures in the first three days of the heat wave, according to the National Epidemiological Center database. A street thermometer reads 44C during a heat wave in Seville, Spain, on Tuesday. (Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images) Dairy cows cool off under water sprinklers in a barn in Vire-en-Champagne, northwest France, on Thursday. (Jean-Francois Monier/AFP/Getty Images)
Italy was hit by a drought
Meanwhile, the worst drought in more than 70 years has reduced Italy’s largest river, the Po, to little more than a trickle in places. Italy has declared a state of emergency along the Po, which supports about a third of the country’s agricultural output, after experiencing its hottest July since 1800, with temperatures expected to rise next week. Boats rest on the dry riverbed at a tourist pier along the Pa River in Torricella, northern Italy, on Thursday. (Antonio Calanni/The Associated Press)
