Some like it hotter
High spirits on warmest day of year so far as temperatures reach 32.4C
ROADS began to melt and trains were cancelled but many people had a ball as Britain baked on the hottest day of the year.
Sweltering crowds had fun at the beach, pools and parks as the mercury hit a high of 32.4C yesterday.
It is likely to be a little cooler today but the highest ever June temperature could be broken tomorrow.
Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze said: “The heatwave is getting hotter. Forecast models show 35C top temperatures on Wednesday in the South – meaning it has the potential to be the hottest June day on record.”
The all-time high for June is 35.6C, set in 1976 in Southampton. Train travel was disrupted yesterday amid fears of rails buckling in the heat.
Motorists were warned of roads softening, which makes skidding more likely. Gritters are on standby to scatter rock salt to shore up the surface.
A level three heat warning, one behind a national emergency, was issued by the Met Office.
The NHS advised people to stay in the shade and drink plenty of water. Public Health England urged people to keep an eye on vulnerable and elderly neighbours who may suffer in the heat.
Yesterday’s hottest temperature was recorded at RAF Northolt in West London. Temperatures in England and Wales should drop by the end of the week as cooler air drifts down from the far north. Emma Sharples, from the Met Office, said: “If you’re in northwest Scotland it is around 14C, so you’ll be wondering what all the fuss is about. We will start to see that cooler air filter its way across the country” A woman drowned in the sea by the beach at East Wittering, West Sussex, yesterday afternoon. She was pulled out but died at the scene. Police said: “Emergency services were called... Her death is not being treated as suspicious.”