Before the UK gets hit by extremely high temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, Britain is expected to swelter in 31°C heat today.
Almost the entire country of England, from the south coast up to Hartlepool, and all of eastern Wales are currently under an amber weather warning.
That is before a red alert, which denotes a danger to life, goes into effect for the next two days, during which time central England may experience record-breaking highs of more than 40°C. That is going to be hotter than a lot of the Sahara Desert.
Prior to the record-breaking heat, the Met Office predicted dry, hot weather for Wales, the Midlands, the South East, and south-west England.
While Scotland and the North West of England are expected to experience a cloudier day with occasional showers or drizzle,
The north west of England is expected to reach highs of 25°C, while the north east and the majority of Scotland could only reach highs of 23°C.
Kit Malthouse, minister of the Cabinet Office, warned that the heatwave would cause “severe disruption” to transportation services the next week and recommended people to stay indoors.
On Saturday, he presided over an urgent Cobra conference after meteorologists issued a warning that thousands of lives might be at danger.
Experts estimate that around 2,500 individuals perished in 2020 as a result of heatwaves.
Additionally, significant harm is anticipated for public services.
According to Mr. Malthouse, the transport companies are telling people to only go on Monday and Tuesday if it is absolutely necessary.
The impact on services will be considerable. Trains must operate more slowly because the heat will slow them down, for example, on the rails. Services might be reduced. People should be alert for disruptions.
If they don’t need to travel, they could be able to work from home at this time.
He claimed that measures had been taken to ensure that hospitals and ambulances that would face pressure were ready, and that instructions were being sent to schools to allow them to remain open.
It’s crucial that we all continue to heed public health recommendations to stay cool and take easy precautions like drinking plenty of water, looking for shade, and keeping an eye on vulnerable friends and neighbors, said Mr. Malthouse.
Heathrow Airport and Kew Gardens in west London registered the day’s peak temperature of 29.1°C, signaling the commencement of the heatwave.
In some areas, the hot weather led to an increase in the demand for water. South East Water confirmed that Challock and Molash, Kent, residents were without water as a result of the “constantly hot weather and significantly increased demand for water,” which it claimed put “significant pressure on our network.”
The supplier said in a statement: “We’re working on restoring your supplies and will work on this overnight.
“As a precaution, we’re going to open the Challock Village Hall bottled water station at 8am tomorrow morning.”
With the current heatwave expected to reach its height on Tuesday, meteorologists have predicted that there is an 80% possibility that the temperature will break the UK record of 38.7°C, established in Cambridge in 2019.
Monday is projected to be extremely hot, with Milton Keynes, Norwich, and Lincoln likely to reach 36 °C and Peterborough reaching 37 °C.
On Tuesday, temperatures are expected to rise by a few more degrees, reaching the mid-30s in much of England and Wales.
There is a 50% possibility that it will be 40°C somewhere in the UK on that day, probably along the A1 corridor, which passes through the counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, and the North East on its way from London to Scotland.
Penny Endersby, chief executive of the Met Office, commented after the agency issued its first-ever red warning for extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday, affecting a large portion of England from London to Manchester and York. She said people can struggle to predict what to expect when “climate change has driven such unprecedented severe weather events.”
She cautioned, ‘This is not that sort of weather. Here in the UK we’re used to taking a hot period as an opportunity to go and play in the sun.
For Monday, there is also a high air pollution notice for London.
While this was going on, Labour criticized Prime Minister Boris Johnson for allegedly skipping Cobra meetings in favor of a party.
To stay cool during the weather, Britons have been rushing to buy fans and looser clothing.
As professionals try to stay cool, retailer Toolstation reported a 641 percent increase in fan sales during the past week compared to the week prior.