Wales recorded its hottest day on record today with England set to follow later as fires broke out after trains were cancelled, hospital appointments axed and schools closed amid warnings that healthy people could die.
Should you cherished this informative article and you desire to be given more information relating to long distance car ride services generously go to our page. The Met Office confirmed Gogerddan near Aberystwyth had reached 35.3C (95.5F) this afternoon, exceeding the previous all-time high in Wales of 35.2C (95.4F) at Hawarden Bridge in Flintshire on August 2, 1990. And it was Cornwall’s hottest day on record today, with 34.2C (93.6F) in Bude – beating a high of 33.9C (93F) in June 1976.
In England, the hotspot by 4pm today was Cambridge with 38C (100.4F) – closing in on the all-time UK record of 38.7C (101.7F), set in the same city in July 2019. It was also the UK’s hottest day of the year so far by some long distance car ride services – beating the previous 2022 high of 33C (91F) set in Hawarden only yesterday. London was at 37.5C (99.5F) today.
Wildfires continued to burn today after weeks of very dry conditions – including across fields near Chesterfield in Derbyshire – while a vehicle dramatically set on fire in a car park near the beauty spot of Durdle Door in Dorset.
Elsewhere, rail tracks buckled in London’s Vauxhall in the heat – resulting in a safety inspection on the line that caused disruption between Waterloo and Clapham Junction. Elsewhere Great Northern said a buckled rail at Watlington in Norfolk meant services could not run between Cambridge and Kings Lynn. And all flights in and out of RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire were halted because the ‘runway has melted’, according to a military source.
In London, a judge at Wood Green Crown Court was forced to halt a murder trial after an air conditioning unit broke down – saying he had ‘no choice’ but to adjourn proceedings and move the case to the Old Bailey.
With the UK set to be hotter than the Sahara Desert, transport links in the capital were already grinding to a halt due to train cancellations – while roads could melt and bosses have urged employees to work from home.
Health chiefs told patients to stay away unless it is an emergency amid fears hospitals will be overwhelmed, while emergency services urged swimmers to stay away from lakes and rivers in case they face difficulties.
Some schools in Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire have shut while others will close early – and water providers have also warned of shortages, while a burst water main caused chaos in Kingston upon Thames.
Some 53 schools in Buckinghamshire have closed and reverted to remote learning. Elsewhere, Northwood Community Primary School in Kirkby, Merseyside, said that sports day had been axed today; while King Charles I School, a secondary school in Worcestershire, has cancelled all on-site detentions both today and tomorrow.
Professor Endersby told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning: ‘We think today we may well see the hottest day in the UK in history, with the hottest temperatures in the South East, but actually the highest temperatures we expect tomorrow, and those temperatures will be further north as that warm air pushes north.
‘It’s tomorrow that we’re really seeing the higher chance of 40C and temperatures above that. Even possibly above that… 41C isn’t off the cards. We’ve even got some 43Cs in the model but we’re hoping it won’t be as high as that.’
One GP surgery in Hertfordshire had to close a site today because it has no air conditioning; others in London have texted patients to warn them of reduced services with limited clinic rooms in operation; and Milton Keynes University Hospital said it was ‘standing down routine outpatient appointments and surgery’ today and tomorrow.
In Cardiff, a children’s hospital’s cancer ward at Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital was left without air conditioning after the unit failed in hot weather. Engineers were working to fix the fault affecting the chemotherapy area – and health chiefs said that if the problem cannot be solved, patients will be moved to a different ward to keep cool.
Meanwhile Royal Mail warned of disruption to deliveries, saying today: ‘In areas where temperatures rise to potentially dangerous levels during the day, our staff have been advised to return to the office with any mail they have been unable to deliver and not put themselves under any risk of falling ill due to the extreme heat.’
At Buckingham Palace, the Changing of the Guard was scaled down to protect the soldiers. The marching and ceremonial parade was made shorter to prevent the Queen’s Guard from being too long distance car ride services in the midday sun.
But Guardsman were still required to stand to attention and march outside the Palace in their Canadian bearskins and full uniform. And one standing guard was seen being given water to drink as he stood in the direct sunshine.
As health officials declared a ‘national emergency’, rail chaos was already affecting parts of London this morning – with the Overground suspended between Willesden Junction and Richmond, and Romford and Upminster.
On the Underground, the District, Central, Bakerloo and Jubilee lines all had severe delays while the Hammersmith & City Line was completely axed due to ‘heat related restrictions’ and there was no Metropolitan line between Baker Street and Aldgate. Transport for London told all passengers in the capital to avoid non-essential travel.
The scorching heat means the UK will be warmer than Nassau in the Bahamas (32C), Kingston in Jamaica (33C), Malaga in Spain (28C), Athens in Greece (35C), Albufeira in Portugal (28C) and Dakhla in the Western Sahara (24C).
Temperatures had already hit 34C (93F) in London by midday today. As Britons camped overnight at Bournemouth beach for the best spot today amid what forecasters called an ‘exceptional hot spell’:
The Met Office urged people to do ‘as little as possible’ to avoid dire health risks as the ‘red warning’ began;
Rail passengers were urged to travel only if ‘necessary’ and gritters were sent out to stop roads melting;
Wildfires swept through parched grassland after days of dry and roasting conditions in ‘tinderbox’ Britain;
There is now a 90 per cent chance of the all-time UK temperature record being broken today or tomorrow;
Water providers including Affinity, Anglian and South East reported supply issues due to the hot weather.
The hot weather also caused a significant drop in footfall in London, with a drop of 10 per cent across high streets, retail parks and shopping centres today compared to last week. The figure across all UK shopping destinations was down 3 per cent overall – but footfall on high streets in coastal towns was up 9 per cent.
This map from Netweather shows how 41C highs are expected in parts of central England tomorrow – and 40C in the South
Fire crews fight grass and field fires near Chesterfield in Derbyshire today as temperatures soar across Britain
A member of the Queen’s Guard receives water to drink during the hot weather outside Buckingham Palace in London today
A vehicle dramatically set on fire in a long distance car ride services park near the beauty spot of Durdle Door in Dorset this afternoon
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A very busy Brighton beach in East Sussex at lunchtime today as visitors flock to the seaside
A major grass fire in Newgale, Pembrokeshire, today with multiple crews at the scene trying to keep it under control
Two women play in the sea off Bournemouth beach today on the hottest day of the year so far
Firefighters tackle a huge blaze at a recycling centre near Braintree in Essex today amid fears it may spread to a nearby forest
People jump into the tidal pool and swim during hot weather at Perranporth Beach in Cornwall today
Network Rail engineers have found a kink in the rail at Vauxhall in London today due to the extreme heat
The kink in the tracks was spotted near Vauxhall in London today, with trains re-routed to avoid the affected section
A man uses a newspaper as a fan whilst travelling on the Bakerloo line in central London during the heatwave today
Sunbathers on the sand at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, today as the very hot weather continues
People out enjoying the hot weather at Cullercoats Bay in North Tyneside today as temperatures rise all over the UK
Lara Cahill, Olivia Murtagh and Caoimhe Clynch sunbathe on Portobello beach in Edinburgh today
People flock to Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they make the most of the extreme temperatures
Tanisha Randell, 19, takes a stroll along Bournemouth beach today during a day trip from Southampton
People swim at Hampstead Heath in North West London today as they enjoy the very hot weather
Commuters cross London Bridge today as the Shard reflects the sun in the early morning heat
People relax on Bournemouth beach in Dorset this morning as the heatwave continues
People flock to Bournemouth beach in Dorset today as they make the most of the extreme temperatures
People preparing to enter the water in Penzance, Cornwall, today
Scorching temperatures in Battersea Park in South West London today as people cool off inside the fountain
Commuters on London Bridge feel the heat at 8.30am this morning amid the extreme weather conditions
A young girl rides her inflatable pelican in the sea at Fistral Beach in Newquay, Cornwall, this afternoon
A woman uses a fan to cool herself down as commuters cross London Bridge today in extreme temperatures
A woman keeping cool in the River Thames near Chertsey in Surrey today (left) and another on Bournemouth beach (right)
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The Met Office’s Professor Endersby said today that such extreme temperatures are not expected beyond tomorrow, but that meteorologists will then be monitoring the possibility of drought in the coming months.
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‘Well, we certainly don’t see these very hot temperatures persisting past Tuesday, so we’re expecting a big drop in temperature, mercifully, overnight into Wednesday – down 10 or 12 degrees on what it has been the days before.
