Sizzling hot weather set to continue next week

SOUTH Wales sizzled in temperatures of 26°C yesterday with no sign of the mercury dropping just yet.

After a week of baking sunshine, the weekend is set to be just as warm with highs of 26°C expected in Cardiff today and 27°C tomorrow.

There is a chance that parts of South Wales could have thunderstorms tomorrow and Monday – but for most the hot weather will continue.

As we head into the working week, from Wednesday, the temperature will start to cool down, though they will remain in the 20s.

Elsewhere around the UK, some roads began to melt, train tracks reached temperatures of 49°C (120.2°F) and a hosepipe ban was set to come into force.

The first hosepipe ban is likely to come into place in Northern Ireland this weekend as Northern Ireland Water said demand is outstripping supply, leaving it with no option but to bring in the ban in order to save water.

Elsewhere, consumers are being urged to take simple steps to reduce the amount of water they use. Top tips include taking a shorter shower, not leaving the taps running and reusing paddling pool water for plants in the garden.

Porthmadog was the hottest place in the UK for the fourth day in a row yesterday as the mercury soared to 33°C (91.4°F).

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “We are going to see a continuation of the current warm spell but the temperatures over the next few days are not likely to be the warmest of the year so far.

“I think for now temperatures have peaked and we are not expecting to see any records today. We will begin to have a slightly fresher feel, bringing the temperatures down, not by much, by one or two degrees.”

Gritters have been deployed in some areas, spreading crushed rock dust onto melting roads to create a non-stick layer between the surface and vehicles. Motorists have been advised to use warm soapy water to wash sticky tar from their vehicles.

Some railway tracks have soared to nearly 50°C (122°F), leading them to expand and bend. Trains had to be stopped from running over a section of track near Carlisle station on Thursday.

Speed restrictions have been in place all week on the route from London Waterloo to New Malden due to the scorching temperatures, causing delays to services.

Translink Rail services also felt the heat as they were forced to delay and cancel services across Northern Ireland on Thursday as rail lines reached over 50°C and began to buckle.

The soaring temperatures have seen massive grass fires take hold on Saddleworth Moor and Winter Hill, Lancashire.

And pictures taken in Trebanog yesterday showed smoke across the Rhondda valleys as a grass fire took hold west of Penrhys forest towards Treorchy.

The Met Office’s heathealth watch alert has remained at level two all week, meaning social and healthcare services are at the ready to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.

This week is the first time since 2013 all four nations in the UK have seen temperatures of 30°C or above, the Met Office said.

The RSPCA called on pet owners to keep a close eye on their animals in the heat after receiving 625 calls about animals in hot environments between June 11 and 24 - the majority about dogs in hot cars.