After the taxpayer-funded officials issued a warning that it might be “too hot to work” and that homes might be left “without water, gas, or power,” the Met Office’s announcement of a “amber heat warning” today has sparked concerns about the disruption of weekend sporting and musical events.
This afternoon, the Met Office issued a rare amber warning for fatal heat this Sunday, when temperatures might reach 100F across most of England (38C).
Exceptionally high temperatures are anticipated to start on Sunday, according to meteorologists, and they “could have widespread effects on infrastructure and people,” with significant disruptions to flights, trains, and other modes of transportation.
Fans are speculating online about whether singer-songwriter George Ezra’s Sunday performance in Finsbury Park, which is his biggest headlining gig to date, will be canceled due to the heat.
England will also host India for a one-day international cricket match at Manchester’s Old Trafford on that same day.
Additionally, two Women’s Euro 2022 matches—Sweden vs. Portugal and Switzerland vs. The Netherlands—are scheduled to be played in Sheffield and Wigan.
All four events are currently scheduled to take place, but organizers may change their plans later this week based on how the forecast develops.
In addition, the Met Office cautioned that “population-wide adverse health effects are likely” and that “substantial changes in working practices and daily routines are likely to be required” in addition to the possibility of a loss of gas, water, and electricity.
‘Government advice is that 999 services should be used in emergencies only. Seek advice from 111 if you need non-emergency health advice,’ it added.
The heat could cause “potential serious illness or danger to life.”
“Significantly more people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes, and rivers, increasing the risk of water safety incidents,” the forecasters continued.
Road delays and closures, as well as delays and cancellations in air and train travel, are all likely, with the possibility of serious welfare difficulties for people who face even mild delays.
The warning is in effect for the entire day on Sunday but might last into the next week.
The East, the East Midlands, London, the South East, the North East, the North West, the South West, the West Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber are all included.
Major outdoor events that are scheduled for this Sunday that are now potentially in jeopardy include a George Ezra and Blossoms concert in London’s Finsbury Park, two women’s soccer matches for the 2022 European Championship in Sheffield and Wigan, and an England vs. India one-day international cricket match in Manchester.
Dr. Simon Lee, an atmospheric scientist, noted that there are still six days before the weather warning goes into effect, which is “the maximum lead-time for an operational weather warning from the Met Office.”
From yellow to red, the excessive heat weather warning system shows how likely and significant an impact the weather will have on daily life.
The likelihood of a high impact from temperatures is indicated by an orange warning.
This is only the third excessive heat warning that the Met Office has issued, the agency confirmed to MailOnline.
It comes after the heatwave caused traffic mayhem on what is expected to be the warmest day of the year thus far.
Timber beams on rail lines caught fire, and 20 mph speed restrictions were put in place on others to prevent tracks from buckling.
Services between Victoria and Brixton were suspended this morning owing to a bridge fire in Battersea, South London, while Network Rail advised that trains may have to run slower elsewhere due to hot track temperatures.
West Midlands Trains routes between Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa, and Kidderminster were among the first services to be disrupted; until 8 p.m. tonight, speeds were reduced from the usual 60 mph to 20 mph on these routes.
However, because specialized weather teams are keeping an eye on major hotspot spots this week, limits might be put in place to lessen the chance of buckling because slower trains apply less force on the track.
In reaction to thawing roads, Hampshire County Council is getting ready to send out gritters. According to officials, the equipment will spread sparing amounts of sand that “acts like a sponge to absorb up extra bitumen.”
To prevent ice from accumulating on roadways throughout the winter, gritty trucks are typically used to disperse salt.
This week, older roads, remote sites, and south-facing areas are most likely to be the targets of the vehicles.
Since there hasn’t been any rain, the wheel timbers on the bridge that caught fire in Battersea are said to be “extremely dry” and “it’s probable a stray spark set them alight,” according to Network Rail.
In addition to the heat, there were a number of other delays today, including those caused by a broken-down freight train between Peterborough and Grantham, a points failure between Reading and Basingstoke, a signaling issue between Bromley South and Rochester, overhead wire damage between Wolverhampton and Stafford, a signals problem between Yeovil and Exeter, a points failure between Maidenhead and Slough, and a signaling issue between Ely and Norwich.
The ground is “tinder dry at the present,” according to the Met Office, and there is a massive wildfire burning on Ministry of Defense territory in Salisbury Plain.
People are advised to use caution while using barbecues and butts with cigarettes.
The military had “informed” Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service of the fire “inside the impact area at Urchfont.”
Despite a heat-health advisory, temperatures in London reached 30.6C (87.1F) around 1pm today after reaching 30C (86F) at midday.
The extremely hot weather is expected to linger at least until the weekend.
Human resources professionals urged businesses to allow employees to work from home during the heat wave to prevent a “arduous” drive in the oppressive conditions, adding that hot weather “usually boosts sick days being called in.” Some employees requested to work from home.
Other businesses could adopt the practice of providing their personnel with “sunny days,” or an additional day or two of annual leave that they can use on unanticipated warm days like today.
One Twitter user claimed they had a hair appointment cancelled “because it’s too hot to work” with temperatures reaching 27C (81F) by 10am today.
Is that a thing?” another person said, before adding, “No, it’s way too hot to work.” I want to go HOME, RN!
‘Annual ‘WFH is sorta terrible in the summer’ tweet,’ wrote a third. Oh, to work in an office with air conditioning.
A fourth responded, “The commute would be so hot and sweaty!” Though probably worthwhile at times.
It follows a tropical night in which temperatures in London were still at 20C (68F) at midnight and Twitter users posted jokes about finding it difficult to fall asleep.
It’s too hot to sleep, one person said. If you have air conditioning this week, I’m not at all upset. One more person said, “Can’t sleep in this heat even with my fan on full, it’s not helping,”
The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK was 38.7C (101.6F) at Cambridge on July 15, 2019, whereas the warmest day of 2022 thus far was June 17 in Santon Downham, Norfolk.
This week, parts of the UK will be hotter than popular beach locations like Hawaii, Jamaica, the Maldives, and the Bahamas.
Highs of 33C (91F) are predicted for today and tomorrow, and 29C (84F) is predicted for Wednesday.
This Thursday, it will be 28°C (82°F), Friday, 27°C (81°F), and Saturday, 31°C (88°F).
With the current forecast calling for highs of 36C (97F) in London, the Met Office stated there is a 30% possibility that the UK would experience its warmest day ever on Sunday.
However, this might change in the coming days.
The warm period this week, according to forecasters, is caused by a persistent region of high pressure centered over the southern part of the UK.
This will result in mostly dry and clear weather for the week, with little cooling into the evenings.
This week, England as a whole will see mostly bright days with a few clouds, although Scotland and Northern Ireland may see downpours on Tuesday, and northern England may get some rain on Friday.
The forecast comes on the heels of a scorching weekend that saw Britain experience highs of 30.1C (86.2F) yesterday, 27.5C (81.5F), and 29.3C (84.7F) on Friday, all of which were recorded in London.
Rebekah Sherwin, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, stated: “Temperatures are forecast to peak at 33C in the South East today and tomorrow.
Warm weather is going to persist this week, and it looks likely to intensify late this week and into early next week.
“Temperatures are predicted to exceed 35C in the southeast from Sunday through Monday, but specifics are still unknown.”
Other places could see temperatures as high as 32C in England and Wales and as low as the mid- to upper 20s further north.
The most likely weather event is determined by running weather forecast models hundreds of times, she continued.
We’ll be following this closely and providing more information in the coming days.
“Some runs of these models are permitting extraordinarily high temperatures to emerge for late next weekend and early next week.
Over the upcoming weekend and beyond, several models have been predicting maximum temperatures in some parts of the UK that are above 40 degrees Celsius.
“Temperature projections are less accurate at longer time scales, so while these numbers cannot be ruled out, they still still have a low likelihood.”
Several weather situations are still possible, but for now it seems more likely that it will be in the mid- or possibly high-30s.
“The highest temperatures experienced in the UK tend to occur when our weather is influenced by air masses from continental Europe or north Africa, as it will be at the weekend.
There is already a strongly-embedded warming due to climate change across the continent, which is increasing the likelihood of challenging the current UK temperature record,” said Dr. Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office National Climate Information Centre.
A large wooden baulk or beam known as a “wheel timber” was one of the baulks that caught fire in the Battersea fire, which occurred on a bridge where the rails are supported by wood-over-metal girders. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Two of the three lines on the bridge were quickly restored following the fire’s extinguishment, with the impacted line opening at 8.40am.
Although it was declared safe for use due to the size of the baulks, repair work will be necessary.
Network Rail Southern Region spokesman Chris Denham told MailOnline: “We were summoned to a fire on a bridge in Battersea this morning at around 4.30am, where a wooden beam was ablaze.”
When the fire was put out by our pals with the London Fire Brigade at 6 am, we had shut down the lines on the bridge.
After a careful examination of the bridge, we were able to reopen two of the three tracks by around 6.30am, and all three were open by 8.45am.
We are currently developing a plan for making the necessary repairs, particularly to a walkway that was harmed in the fire. A cause of the fire is being looked into.
The affected rail company was Southeastern, which reported “disruption” between between 5.40 and 8.20 this morning.
Trains were diverted to London Blackfriars and London Cannon Street while the situation was being handled.
More broadly speaking, Network Train has cautioned that hot weather may cause lines to “expand and sometimes buckle” on all rail lines.
The statement read: “With unusually hot temperatures predicted for this week, our specialist weather teams will be keeping an eye on crucial hotspot sites to ensure we can maintain services efficiently and safely.”
In some areas of the network most impacted by the heat, speed limitations are probably in effect.
This is advantageous since slower trains are less likely to buckle the track because they apply less stress to it.
However, trips may take longer where speed limits are in force, so we suggest customers to plan ahead and bring a bottle of water.
In the meantime, Laura Rennie, managing director of Arena HR in Kilmarnock, commented on the possibility that more sick days will be taken during the heatwave: “The hot weather always increases sick days being called in.”
Many workers are so dissatisfied with their jobs and lifestyles in general that the chance for a day off in the sun is simply too alluring.
“To fight this, I’ve noticed that more and more firms are providing their employees with “sunny days.”
They can use these extra one or two days of annual leave for unforeseen warm days.
In Britain, we can never be sure when something like this will occur, so having a day or two available at short notice keeps everyone pleased. Staff morale improves and sick days decline. Gain, gain.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development professional body’s wellbeing adviser and HR specialist Rachel Suff told MailOnline that employers should be flexible with working arrangements and permit people to work from home in extremely hot weather if doing so will make them more comfortable and productive.
Allowing people to stagger their start and finish times to avoid traveling during rush hour could be helpful because driving in the heat can be exhausting.
‘While there’s no specific legal minimum or maximum temperature for workplaces in the UK, employers need to make sure the temperature in workplaces is reasonable.’
Employers should be aware of the health dangers, which can particularly affect people with a handicap or health condition, in historic buildings or those with lots of glass in the workplace, she continued.
However, she noted, “If there is a heatwave, there could be some cases of true illness, particularly among those who have an underlying medical problem.”
Employers ought to take the initiative to advise staff members about self-care strategies for remaining cool, such utilizing a fan and drinking plenty of water.
“Employers should, whenever feasible, be flexible with regard to working arrangements, such as working from home and stagger shift schedules to prevent an unpleasant and congested commute.”
Employees should be reminded of the company’s policy for handling absences and anticipated behavior, especially in situations where absences are not legitimate.
She added that research suggests presenteeism, or working while ill, “may be more of an issue in many companies than absenteeism,” and that it should not be assumed that many workers get sick because it is hot outside.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a Level Three heat-health alert this morning, encouraging Britons to stay inside during the day, drink more fluids, and take extra care of young children.
Professor Mike Tipton, an authority on extreme environments at Portsmouth University, cautioned about the health problems that might result from high temperatures and estimated that the heatwave could cause an additional 2,000 fatalities in Britain.
This morning, he told on BBC Radio 4’s Today program: “You get an increased risk of blood clotting and cardiac issues because of the additional pressure heat puts on the body.”
Between 1,000 and 2,000 additional deaths from heat-related causes are expected, with the elderly making up the majority of these cases.
Greg Dewhurst, a meteorologist at the Met Office, stated: “High pressure will predominate, with plenty of sunshine, especially in England and Wales.”
It will occasionally be misty in Scotland and Northern Ireland, with thick clouds rolling in from the northwest and possibly bringing some rain.
But for the majority of us, it will be a dry and bright day, with morning highs well into the 20s and possibly reaching 33C in the central, southern, and eastern areas of England.
So it’s highly likely that tomorrow will be the warmest day of the year thus far, and it will undoubtedly match or even surpass the previous record.
Many people might have a difficult night because it will also be very warm tonight into Tuesday, staying in the low 20s in cities.
There will be a combination of sunny spells on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, but there is also a chance of showers in the north. 20 to 23 degrees Celsius in the north and 24 to 28 degrees Celsius in the south.
“Over the weekend, it looks set to be generally dry and sunny with a chance of a return to low to mid 30C temperatures.”
Some even forecast that this weekend, the UK might soar to an astounding 43C (109F).
We’re in for a tremendous rollercoaster that may catch people off guard, Met Office forecaster Steven Keates told The Sun.
We may experience truly spectacular, record-breaking heat this weekend, and it will suddenly pick up speed as if someone turned on the throttle.
According to certain American weather models, East Anglia could experience temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius on Sunday, shattering the previous UK record.
Currently, the heat is dry and rather nice, but by the following weekend, the dew point will rise and the temperature will rise significantly.
The high humidity implies that nighttime temperature drops won’t be as swift.
The UK needs to rapidly prepare for a future with more heatwaves, according to experts, who also note that hot spells have a bigger potential impact than other climate extremes like flooding.
The Met Office, according to a spokeswoman, uses computer modeling to help with its forecasts, although at this time, it doesn’t anticipate temperatures to rise over 40°C (104F).
‘Some of the weather computer models we use are still forecasting temperatures in the mid-high 30’s for Sunday and Monday,’ BBC Weather presenter Simon King wrote in a tweet.
Still some distance away, but it has been too constant to ignore. There are two types of heat: “summer” and “severe heat.”
Additionally, Matt Taylor, a meteorologist, said on BBC Breakfast that some areas of South East England and East Anglia would be close to or above 30C throughout week, and by next weekend it might be considerably hotter.
The UK national heat record, which is currently at 38.7C, may be about to be surpassed. Even though it’s still a while away and things could change, next weekend is looking great.
The UKHSA has issued a Level Three heat-health notice for this week for the South East, East, and London regions, emphasizing the potential health effects of the conditions. The alert is called “heatwave action.”
“Watch out for others, especially the elderly, young children, and infants, as well as those who have underlying medical concerns,” it instructs.
Remember that it could be colder outside than inside and draw the curtains in rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler.
“Drink plenty of water, avoid excessive alcohol, dress for the weather, and drive more slowly when it’s hot out.”
As it stands, the alerts went into effect at 9 a.m. this morning and will continue until 9 a.m. on Friday.
For the regions of the South West, East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, and Yorkshire and the Humber, a Level Two notice with the label “alert and preparedness” has been issued. In particular for the very young, the very old, or those who have chronic diseases, hot weather can be deadly, according to this statement.
In spite of the increasing temperatures, councils are recommending residents to take precautions.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, has urged everyone to take advantage of the sunshine responsibly and to keep an eye on those who may be more at risk, such as the elderly and those with heart and pulmonary conditions.
During this week’s heatwave, water companies are advising customers not to waste water.
According to suppliers, during hot weather spells, there may be insufficient supply due to increased demand and careless use.
They have recommended people to find other ways to cool off besides taking cold showers, such as swimming in a nearby body of water.
According to a Southern Water spokesperson, when the weather gets hotter, we all consume more water and our daily demand might increase by hundreds of millions of liters.
Less rainfall results from drier conditions, and this year we have seen prolonged dry spells. The locations, such as groundwater, rivers, and reservoirs, from which we take water to provide our clients will be lower.
We don’t believe that temporary use limitations will be necessary across the entire region in the upcoming months. In places like Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, where water is more scarce and the demand for it is greater, we might need to take further precautions. To minimize interruption, we are closely collaborating with partner organizations and the local community in these locations.
Although there is not a complete ban on hosepipes, Affinity Water, which delivers water to sections of the southern and eastern parts of the UK, has advised residents to refrain from using sprinklers and hoses to conserve 1,000 liters each hour.
Additionally, the business advises against using large inflatable pools, to only use dishwashers and washing machines when they are fully loaded, and to turn off the water when brushing your teeth.
And South West Water, which acknowledges that demand on supplies is growing, has urged customers to try to conserve five liters of water every day to maintain reservoir levels.
There haven’t been any limits in the area since 1976, according to Lisa Gahan, the director in charge of water resources, and “if we are diligent we can have another year without any restrictions.”
‘We want everyone to enjoy the hot weather when it arrives, but we also want to check in on their vulnerable family, friends, and neighbors to make sure they are prepared for the hot conditions ahead,’ said Dr. Agostinho Sousa, head of severe events and health protection at the UKHSA.