Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
95F meltdown
Drought hits crops & food shortage fears Hottest day of the year and more on way
THE scorching heatwave is about to get even hotter – with warnings to stay indoors as health services brace themselves for a heat stroke surge.
The Met Office issued an amber warning, one off national emergency level, as the hot spell shows no sign of burning out with temperatures soaring towards 100F (38C).
A plume of sweltering air dubbed the Mediterranean Melt is set to make the UK hotter than Jamaica by the end of the week.
The blistering heat peaked at 92F (33.3C) at Santon Downham in Suffolk yesterday – the hottest so far this year. But that is tipped to soar to at least 95F (35C) on Thursday and Friday in some parts.
High temperatures are expected to stay for much of the school summer holiday. But as sunseekers flock to parks and beaches to enjoy the balmy weather, the heat is taking its toll as canals run dry, crops wilt and hosepipe bans begin.
Scorching sun was blamed for a grass fire near an airport runway yesterday that threatened two empty planes nearby.
No one was injured and fire crews quickly put out the flames at Bournemouth Airport in Dorset. The jets, believed to belong to Nige- airline Azman Air, were being kept there for restoration work. The airport said: “The prolonged dry weather may well be a factor.”
Some areas have had 54 dry days in a row, the Met Office said – a headache for farmers, who warn vegetable prices could rise as crops wilt. Carrot grower Rodger Hobson said his crop is down 30% on last year at his York farm – and warned of a shortage until next June.
He added: “We normally plant in March and April, but because of the snow we didn’t get them planted until May. It’s not just the water shortage, it’s also the temperatures. It’s 25C and the carrots just wilt.”
Other crops are suffering too, after recent warnings about lettuce and peas struggling to grow as they are unaccustomed to the heat.
Charles Bennett, of the familyrun Sandy Lane Farm near Tiddington, Warwickshire, said: “Everyone is experiencing the same issues with certain crops.
“I think it’s likely we’ll see the price of food go up and we’ll all end up paying a bit more.”
The National Farmers’ Union has warned of crops “parched to the bone” and liverian
stock farmers using winter rations – which will cause problems later in the year. Farmers have reported crops “shrivelling up” and dying in the heat.
Temperatures are approximately 10C higher than average for the time of year.
Bookmaker Coral cut odds to 2-1 on breaking the 101.3F (38.5C) record set on August 10, 2003 at Brogdale, Kent.
The Met Office tweeted yesterday: “Our 6-30 day outlook for the UK suggests that for at least the next four weeks, temperatures will remain above average for most, with further spells of very warm or hot conditions probable.”
It warned people to “either stay out of the sun or be sensible and don’t go out in the strongest sunshine hours (11am to 3pm)”.
I think it’s likely we will see the price of food go up FARMER CHARLES BENNETT ON DRY CROPS
The warning applies mostly to southern and eastern England, where people are being urged to wear sun screen and lighter clothing, and to check on elderly relatives and neighbours.
Health services are expecting a surge in sun stroke patients as advice to draw curtains and close windows was issued.
The amber, or level three, warning comes when temperatures are predicted to hit 86F (30C) during the day, and 59F (15C) at night for at least two consecutive days.
Many parts of the South and Midlands have had virtually no rainfall for almost two months.
A 55-mile section of the Leeds & Liverpool canal will close from next Monday unless there is a significant downpour, as locks use 200,000 litres from nearby reservoirs for each boat.
It comes as lakes around the North West of England run dry after the longest spell of hot dry weather since 1976.
United Utilities is bringing in a hosepipe ban across most of the North West from August 5, hitting seven million customers.
The National Drought Group has met to discuss managing supplies. That includes water firms, regulators and environment groups and is chaired by Environment Agency boss Sir James Bevan. He said: “We all have a part to play to protect this precious resource.
“I expect water companies to step up their efforts to ensure supplies are well-managed.