Hotter than the hotspots
COUNTY HEAT BEATS MEXICO CITY, CANARIES
THE weather in Leicestershire was hotter than the Canary Islands, Mexico City and Lisbon yesterday as a heatwave continues to grip the city and county.
The mercury gauge topped 29.5C (85.1F) at weather stations across the county, with the sweltering conditions set to last until at least the weekend.
The Met Office has even issued its first ever “extreme heat” amber warning for parts of the Midlands and southern England.
The national weather forecaster’s official weather station in Market Bosworth recorded a high of 29.5C yesterday for the second day running.
That’s warmer than many wellknown hotspots, including Mexico City (23C), Lisbon (28C) and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (27C), according to the WeatherOnline website.
People have again been visiting parks and attractions in large numbers over the past few days to soak up the rays, although older people – and the elderly in particular – are encouraged to stay indoors and try to keep as well-hydrated and cool as possible.
Weatherman Phil Morrish, from Rothley, has been monitoring the heatwave from his Mountsorrel weather station.
“We’re now on day three of the current heatwave and it continues to be very hot indeed,” he said. “The hottest temperature recorded on Sunday, which was our hottest day of the year, so far, was 30.7C (87.26F) in Braunstone Town. The second warmest place was Hinckley (30.2C).
“While today (Monday), the highest temperature recorded was 29.5C by the Met Office weather station at Market Bosworth. I had 29C (84.2F) here in Mountsorrel, compared with 29.5C from yesterday.
“I’m not surprised it’s hotter than many other places around the world where you’d expect it to be extremely warm at this time of year.”
Phil said to be classed as a heatwave, average temperatures need to be recorded at 27C (80.6) or above for six days in a row, with a minimum night time temperature of 15C.
“Last night, the lowest temperature was 18C (64.4F),” he said. “And that was at 4am this morning!
“When most people were going to sleep it was about 20C (68F), so that goes to show just what we’re dealing with at the moment. It’s felt very hot and sticky around the clock – and there’s not much respite.”
The Met Office yesterday issued its “extreme heat” amber weather warning for parts of the UK over the coming days, including a large swathe of the Midlands.
The warning – similar to those issued when heavy rain or snow is forecast – covers parts of central and southern England, a large part of Wales and all of south-west England.
It will remain in force until the end of Thursday.
It is the first time the warning has been issued since the Met Office said last month it would launch weather warnings for extreme heat after a record-breaking number of heatwave deaths were recorded in England last summer.
Temperatures are expected to reach 33C in some western areas later this week, with high 20s and low 30s expected elsewhere.
Chief operational meteorologist at the Met Office, Steven Ramsdale, said: “The high temperatures are going to continue through a large part of this week. Many areas will continue to reach heatwave thresholds.
“There’s a continuing risk of isolated thundery downpours late in the afternoons but most areas will stay dry until later in the week. Temperatures should begin to fall heading into the weekend.”