Weather warning as Wales bakes in the heat
THE Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for heat across Wales – the first time the warning has been issued since the Met Office said last month that it would launch weather warnings for extreme heat after a recordbreaking number of heatwave deaths were recorded in England last summer.
The Met Office has urged people to take care as it says “high temperatures both by day and night will continue this week leading to public health impact”.
The warning states high temperatures are expected both by day and night, peaking Thursday before temperatures fall on Friday.
THE Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for heat across Wales. The organisation published the warning yesterday afternoon as the heat is set to continue into the week.
Yesterday was the hottest day so far in Wales, with temperatures reaching 30.7C (86F) in Cardiff as crowds of people flocked to beaches and beauty spots across the country to soak up the sun. On Sunday temperatures reached 30.2C (86F) in Cardiff and Monmouth and 29C (84F) in many other areas including Newport.
Now the Met Office has urged people to take care as it says “high temperatures both by day and night will continue this week leading to public health impact”.
This is the first time the warning has been issued since the Met Office said last month that it would launch weather warnings for extreme heat after a record-breaking number of heatwave deaths were recorded in England last summer.
The warning states high temperatures are expected both by day and night, peaking Thursday before temperatures fall on Friday.
The meteorological body says to expect the following:
■ Adverse health effects are likely to be experienced by those vulnerable to extreme heat with the wider population are likely to experience some adverse health effects including sunburn or heat exhaustion (dehydration, nausea, fatigue) and other heat related illnesses;
■ More people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents;
■ Some changes in working practices and daily routines likely to be required;
■ An increased chance that some heat-sensitive systems and equipment may fail, leading to power cuts and the loss of other services to some homes and businesses;
■ Some delays to road, rail and air travel are possible, with potential for welfare issues for those who experience prolonged delays.
The weather warning applies to Swansea Bay and the wider South Wales area. 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 but the amber extreme heat warning focuses on western areas where the most unusually high temperatures are likely to persist.
“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 for most areas heading into the weekend, with some more unsettled conditions looking to develop.”
Met Office forecaster Chris Fawkes said: “The reason our weather pattern is stuck at the moment is because we have got a blocked pattern in the jet stream.
“There is a cut off low to the west. It was one of those that was partly responsible for the catastrophic flooding in parts of Europe.
“In the UK, we are under a ridge where the weather descends down and collects. An area of high pressure and because the pattern is blocked, we don’t see it move around very much.
“There is not going to be much variation day to day.”
The jet stream flows high overhead and causes changes in the wind and pressure at that level. If its position ends up to the north of the UK we tend to see calmer, drier weather.
The Met Office explains: “This affects things nearer the surface, such as areas of high and low pressure, and therefore helps shape the weather we see.
“Sometimes, like in a fast-moving river, the jet stream’s movement is very straight and smooth. However, its movement can buckle and loop, like a river’s meander. This will slow things up, making areas of low pressure move less predictably.
“The jet stream can also change the strength of an area of low pressure. It acts a bit like a vacuum cleaner, sucking air out of the top and causing it to become more intense, lowering the pressure system. The lower the pressure within a system, generally the stronger the wind, and more stormy the result.”
But like now, the jet stream is slower causing areas of high pressure to take charge.