It’s even hotter than Honolulu!
Britain leaves Hawaii in the shade on steamiest ever August bank holiday
BRITAIN is on course to be hotter than Hawaii today with forecasters predicting a record-breaking heatwave this weekend.
Sales of beer, ice cream and burgers soared as the mercury hit 29 Celsius (84F) in London yesterday, with much of the country also basking in the high 20Cs.
And the Met Office said today could reach 33C (91F) in the South-East of England, which is hotter than the previous August bank holiday weekend record of 31.5C at Heathrow in 2001.
This means the UK will be hotter than Honolulu in Hawaii (32C), Miami (29C) and Mumbai (29C) today.
But as Britons basked in the sunshine and fired up barbecues, senior medics warned that hospitals could be ‘full to bursting’ by Monday evening, as the heatwave coincides with a day off for GPs and carers, leading to long waits at accident and emergency departments.
The Met Office told people to stay out of the sun in the middle of the day as it extended a level-three Amber heatwave alert to cover the South East, the East of England and the East Midlands.
Forecaster Craig Snell said: ‘There’s a good chance we’ll break the record. Certainly it could be, if not the warmest, then one of the warm est late summer bank holidays.’ The heat warning comes as one million people are expected to attend the Notting Hill Carnival today and tomorrow in West London. Hundreds of thousands of revellers are enjoying acts at Reading and Leeds festivals, while other events this weekend include the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Manchester Pride, and Creamfields near Warrington in Cheshire. Mr Snell said: ‘The vast majority of the UK will be dry this weekend and there will be some good sunny spells across t he country, even t hough Northern Ireland and the West of Scotland will have a few showers today and Monday.’ Health officials urged those vulnerable to the heat to keep their homes cool, stay hydrated and wear sun protection if they spend time outside. Dr Nick Scriven, President of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned: ‘ As with any period of weather at either extreme it brings extra pressure on emergency and urgent care services.
‘This could see pressure on the system even higher as it coincides with the bank holiday during which a lot of the “normal” supporting services will not be working.’
He added: ‘By Monday evening I could easily see our hospitals full to bursting and long queues in emergency departments.’
After a cool and inclement August, the hot weather will give the economy a boost of £2 billion. More than eight million people will enjoy a staycation in the UK this weekend, according to figures from Visit England – and pubs and bars are expecting a brisk trade.
Brigid Simmonds, Chief Execut i ve of t he British Beer and Pub Association, said: ‘We forecast that, over the bank holiday, an extra one million pints of beer will be sold per day, which will be a much needed boost to pubs which are facing t ax pressures and haven’t enjoyed much good weather this August.’
Sainsbury’s reported a 40 per cent increase in sales of beer and cider, a 90 per cent rise in burgers sold, and ice cream sales up 150 per cent.