Sanjana Idnani
Britain recorded its hottest day on record on Tuesday, with the temperature exceeding 40C. The extreme heat disrupted train services and fuelled a spate of wildfires.
According to The Met Office, a new provisional record temperature of 40.3C was recorded in Coningsby, in Central England. 34 sites across the country experienced temperatures that exceeded the previous high of 38.7C recorded in 2019. For the first time, the Red Extreme heat warning was issued nationally for Monday and Tuesday.
The heatwave led to the London Fire Brigade (LFB) declaring a major incident after fires broke out in a number of areas around the capital, with the LFB experiencing its busiest day since World War Two. 14 other areas around the UK also declared a major incident.
“Blazes in Wennington, East London and in Norfolk destroyed several homes”
The heat and dry conditions meant that fires could start and spread much more easily. Blazes in Wennington, East London and Norfolk destroyed several homes and a fire in Bedfordshire halted train services on the East Coast Mainline.
While Wednesday has been much cooler for most around the country, people have faced thunderstorms today. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms. The worst of the heat may have passed but the UK is still experiencing extreme and tropical weather.
“experts have called for the UK to urgently adapt to extreme heat or risk thousands of excess deaths.”
This week’s weather has renewed conversations about efforts to deal with human-caused climate change and adapt to it. The climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, Dr Nikos Christidis, said: “Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK. The chances of seeing 40C days in the UK could be as much as 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a natural climate unaffected by human influence.”
Consequently, experts have called for the UK to urgently adapt to extreme heat or risk thousands of excess deaths. These measures could include ensuring new-builds can cool down in hot weather and updating current housing stock. According to the UK Health Security Agency, heatwaves have previously caused an additional 2,000 deaths in 2020.
However, as Baroness Brown – deputy chair of the Climate Change Committee – has highlighted, “we are nothing like well enough prepared in the UK for the really hot weather we are seeing now.”
And while stopping the rise in global temperatures must be a key governmental priority to prevent the worst effects of climate change, record-breaking temperatures like those seen this week will soon no longer be a novelty and will need to be managed effectively.
Featured image courtesy of Fabian Jones via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Sanjana Idnani
Sanjana is an English literature student at the University of Bristol and an aspiring journalist. She is particularly interested in writing about the arts, climate change, and inclusivity!
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