The hottest June day for 40 years?
After sweltering weekend, now it could hit 93F
IF you thought yesterday was hot, brace yourself for what’s to come this week.
Temperatures could soar to 34C (93F) – the hottest June weather for more than 40 years.
As it was warned rail tracks may buckle and roads could melt, the Met Office declared a level three heatwave alert, the second highest warning, and said Britain is on course for a week of scorching weather.
Forecasters predict temperatures will be in the late 20s and early 30s Celsius – 10C higher than usual – and it could reach 33C (91F) today.
On Thursday hot air from France could even make it as hot as 34C, beating the 33.8C (92.8F) logged in Worcester in 1995 and closing in on the record for June set in the drought of 1976, when 35.6C (96F) was logged on June 28 in Southampton.
It is also predicted that tonight will be the muggiest night on record, beating the 23.9C (75F) felt in Brighton in August 1990.
The mercury tipped 32.1C (90F) in Hampton, London, yesterday, the hottest day of the year so far and warmer than Barbados.
The sunshine was ‘as powerful as it gets’ in the UK, experts said, with high UV levels equivalent to those in Cyprus and Gibraltar.
Beaches were crowded with sun-seekers over the weekend; 300,000 descended on Brighton and 160,000 at Great Yarmouth and Bournemouth. Supermarkets saw a jump in sales of burgers, sausages, ice lollies and beer as families enjoyed barbecues.
But the weather was not so enjoyable for all. Drivers were stuck in their cars in the swel- tering heat after a six-car crash on the M25 yesterday at the junction for terminals 4 and 5 of Heathrow Airport. Desperate holidaymakers resorted to dragging their bags in the hard shoulder to reach the airport. In London five guardsmen fainted during the Trooping the Colour ceremony to mark the Queen’s birthday. The RnLI also had three times its usual number of call-outs. In newquay, a pregnant woman had to be rescued from a cove after she was trapped by the rising tide for two hours on Saturday. The heatwave, caused by hot air from sub-tropical America along with high pressure, is likely to cause travel chaos today. Rail passengers have been warned of delays because steel tracks can buckle in the heat. Speed limits are imposed to put less pressure on the rails. And RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said when it hits 30C the road surface can be as hot as 50C and risks becoming soft and ‘sticky’. He said to look out for patches that are blacker than usual. Met Office forecaster Emma Salter said: ‘Today will be a stunner of a day, even warmer than the weekend. The nights are going to be really muggy.’ She added that it may get a touch cooler on Tuesday and Wednesday before the heat could rise again on Thursday. The highest UK temperature ever recorded was 38.5C (101F) on August 10, 2003, in Kent.