Millions swelter as UK endures its 1st extreme heat warning

London, Jul 19 (BUS): Millions of people in Britain stayed indoors or sought shade on Monday during the country’s first-ever warning of extreme heat, as hot, dry weather on mainland Europe over the past week moved north, twisting railway lines. Forcing two airports to close their runways.

The red heat alert covers a large part of England and will run until Tuesday, when temperatures could reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time, posing a risk of serious illness and even death among otherwise healthy people, according to the kingdom’s weather agency. United States, Bureau of Meteorology.

The severe heat warning extends from London in the south to Manchester and Leeds in the north.

On Monday, the temperature reached 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.6 Fahrenheit) in Downham in eastern England, just below the highest temperature ever recorded in Britain – 38.7 degrees Celsius (101.7 Fahrenheit), a record high set in 2019.

The country is not at all prepared to deal with such heat – most homes, schools and small businesses in Britain do not have air conditioners.

At least four people have been reported to have drowned across the UK in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to calm down.

Flights were suspended at London’s Luton Airport as engineers repaired the runway “after high surface temperatures caused a small portion to lift”. The British Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton, a major air base northwest of London, also closed its runway due to the heat.

The Air Force said, “Aircraft is using alternate airfields in line with a long-term plan.”

Temperatures are expected to rise further as warm air moves northward on Tuesday, Penelope Endersby, chief executive of the Bureau of Meteorology, said.

“So tomorrow we’re really seeing a higher chance of 40 degrees (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and even higher temperatures,” Endersby told the BBC. “Forty-one is not off the cards. We even have 43 seconds in the form, but we hope it won’t be that high.”

Hot weather has swept across southern Europe since last week, sparking wildfires in Spain, Portugal and France. Nearly 600 heat-related deaths have been reported in Spain and Portugal, where temperatures reached 47 degrees Celsius (117 Fahrenheit) last week.

Officials in the Gironde region of southern France have announced plans to evacuate an additional 3,500 people from towns threatened by the raging fire. More than 1,500 firefighters and water-bombing planes are trying to put out the flames in the dry pine forests in the area.

Medical appointments have been canceled to ease pressure on the National Health Service. Some schools closed their doors while others set up wading pools and water sprays to help the children cool off. Most British schools are not yet closed for the summer.

The high temperatures are even more shocking because Britain usually has very mild summer temperatures. Across the UK, average temperatures in July range from 21°C (70°F) to 12°C (53°F).

But nightfall on Monday will not dampen the heat, with the Met Office forecasting temperatures of up to 29 degrees Celsius (84 Fahrenheit) at midnight in London.

ZHB