It ain’t half hot, Ma’am
Those with health issues urged to keep safe as temperatures of 95F predicted for this week
HOLIDAYMAKERS at the start of the school break should stay out of the sun, the Met Office warned, as temperatures reach their highest levels of 2018 – although thousands of beachgoers ignored the advice yesterday.
Sandown Downham in Suffolk, part of the country that has gone without rainfall for more than a month, claimed the year’s record with a thermometer reading of 91.9F (33.3C). However, weather forecasters predict this will be trumped by temperatures of up to 95F (35C) on Thursday or Friday.
Medical professionals have also warned the heatwave risks sending pensioners with underlying health issues “over the edge” as A&E departments reach peak levels.
Public Health England said temperatures “may leave older people, young children and those with long-term conditions, including heart and lung diseases, struggling to adapt to the heat. So keep an eye on friends and family who may be at risk.”
The searing temperatures prompted the TUC to call on firms to allow informal dress to keep office workers cool.
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home said they were using paddling pools to keep their animals cool and cautioned owners not to walk their pets during the hottest parts of the day.
The heat also seems to have attracted more blue sharks off the coast of Cornwall. After our story last week about swimmers being told to avoid the harbour in St Ives due to a blue shark. Charles Hood, who runs Blue Sharks Cornwall took pictures of sharks off Penzance, and told Cornwall Live: “There have always been blue sharks in Cornish waters but they’ve definitely increased in the past couple of years.”
But tourism chiefs yesterday expressed their fury at the weather warnings being issued over fears it could impact their industry, Malcolm Bell, chief executive of Visit Cornwall, told the Daily Mail: “It’s nanny state with the biggest capital N you could possibly print.”
Meanwhile the National Farmers’ Union said the dried-out grass was causing problems for livestock and dairy farmers, who are being forced to dig into their winter fodder supplies to keep their animals fed.
Guy Smith, NFU deputy president, said: “Farmers are used to dealing with
‘It’s the driest first half of the summer since 1961…we’ve only seen about 20 per cent of the rainfall we’d expect’
the challenges extreme weather can pose but this unprecedented spell of 40 days of sunshine and sustained high temperatures has been unusual.”
Experts also warned the heatwave risks bringing on a faux autumn with prematurely ripening berries and browning leaves. The Woodland Trust said that leaves on trees may begin to change colour far earlier than usual in a bid to preserve water, making them susceptible to pests and disease.
The dry spell is also causing a 55mile stretch of the historic Leeds and Liverpool canal to close for at least a month from next week. The Met Office said several places have had 54 consecutive dry days since May 30. Forecasters classify a “dry day” as one with less than 1mm of rain. It is also the longest spell with less than 1mm of rain since 1969, when 70 days passed with no significant rainfall. The Met Office has issued an amber, or level three, warning, which is made when temperatures are predicted to hit 86F (30C) during the day, and 59F (15C) at night, for at least two consecutive days. There is a 90 per cent possibility of heatwave conditions between today and 9am on Friday in parts of England. A Met Office spokesman said: “It’s the driest first half of the summer since 1961. For the UK as a whole, we’ve only seen about 20 per cent of the rainfall we’d normally expect throughout the whole summer.”