An April scorcher – but beware, with the sunshine comes smog
A CONTINENTAL smog could cause problems for asthmatics and the elderly today as soaring temperatures combine with pollution from Europe.
Britain is expected to experience its warmest April 19 since records began in 1841 with forecasters predicting highs of 80F (27C) in the South.
They may even reach 82F (28C) tomorrow, just one degree short of the hottest ever April day, recorded in London in 1949. The unseasonably warm weather will also bring pollution from Spain and France, and experts have issued health warnings to those with breathing problems. A spokesman said: “Adults and children with lung problems, and adults with heart problems, should reduce strenuous physical exertion, particularly outdoors.”
The warm weather claimed its first victim when a five-year-old girl from Salisbury was swept out to sea at Durdle Door in Dorset. Police said a woman, thought to have been the girl’s
mother, was rescued. The high temperatures were expected to sweep across much of Britain with around 75F (24C) forecast for Birmingham and between 68F and 70F (20C and 21C) expected in the North East. Northern Ireland could see highs of 64F-66F (18C-19C) and Glasgow 63F (17C). Mark Wilson, of the Met Office, said: “It will be a slow start in places, with cloud first thing, but by mid-afternoon there will be lots of unbroken sunshine.”
The mercury could hit between 80F and 82F (27C to 28C) in London and the South East. London’s average April high is 56F (13.5C). A high above 78F (25.6C) would also be Britain’s hottest April day at any point of the month for seven years, Met Office records show, since 2011’s 82F (27.8C) on April 23 at Wisley, Surrey. The hottest April day ever hit 84.9 (29.4C) on April 16, 1949, in Camden Square, London. Paul Mott, a forecaster for Meteogroup, said: “Subtropical air is arriving in a southerly flow, mixed up with Mediterranean air.”
Brian Gaze, of Weather Outlook, added: “It’s very summery. Forecast models show 27C in the South East, with 28C possible tomorrow.”