Britain has sweltered through its hottest June day on record, with temperatures reaching 36.7C in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday – surpassing the 36.1C recorded in Gosport, Hampshire, just a day earlier. The rare red extreme heat warning, which warns of a danger to life, has been extended into Friday for London and parts of southeastern England, affecting millions for a third consecutive day.
The searing heat, driven by a “heat dome” – an area of high pressure that stalls and traps heat – has brought unprecedented disruption. NHS trusts have declared critical incidents, a hosepipe ban is in force in Kent, and more than 1,200 schools across the UK have either closed or cut short their day on Friday. Train services have been disrupted, and thousands are struggling to find relief as overnight temperatures offered little respite.
“Britain recorded its hottest June day at 36.7C, triggering extended red heat warnings and nationwide disruption.”
Wednesday night was the UK’s warmest June night on record, according to provisional Met Office figures. In Cardiff, temperatures did not drop below 23.5C, beating the previous record of 22.7C set in 1976. That record may have been broken again overnight Thursday following the soaring daytime highs.
All four nations recorded their highest temperatures of the year on Thursday. Wales saw its hottest ever June day, with 35.6C in Bute Park, Cardiff, smashing the previous record of 33.7C set in 2000. Scotland reached 31.2C in Threave, Dumfries and Galloway, while Northern Ireland hit 30C in Castlederg, County Tyrone.
A massive wildfire broke out in the Peak District on Thursday, adding to the strain on emergency services. The Met Office warned of “population-wide adverse health effects, leading to serious illness or danger to life”, as well as substantial changes to working practices and risk of power loss. An amber warning is in place across Wales and southern England, while thunderstorm warnings have been issued for the rest of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Scientists say the extreme conditions are being intensified by climate change. Dr Akshay Deoras, a senior research scientist at the University of Reading, said: “Climate change [is] loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past.” Professor Stephen Belcher, Met Office chief scientist, added: “To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Human induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense.”