Nation sizzles – and it could get warmer
THE heatwave is expected to continue this week, with the mercury hitting new 2021 temperature records yesterday.
Sunday proved the hottest day of the year so far in both Wales and England, according to the Met Office, with both countries recording temperatures above 30°C. The temperature reached 30.20°C (86.40°F) in Cardiff and 31.60°C (88.90°F) at Heathrow.
Northern Ireland experienced its hottest day ever on Saturday afternoon with 31.2°C (88.16°F) recorded in Ballywatticock, in County Down, beating the previous highest temperature of 30.8°C (87.44°F), which was reached on July 12, 1983 and June 30, 1976.
All four nations recorded their highest temperature for the year so far on Saturday, with 30.3°C (86.54°F) recorded in Coton In The Elms, Derbyshire, 29.6°C (85.28°F) reached in Usk, Monmouthshire, and 28.2°C (82.76°F) in Threave, in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland.
And it looks like the sweltering weather will continue for Wales.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “We are expecting temperatures to continue on the high side right through until Thursday, although the day-to-day detail will change and there is a tendency for the highest maximum temperatures to migrate west.
“So, we are expecting Monday and Tuesday for the maximum temperatures to be in t h e
South-West and in south Wales, and then later in the week temperatures climbing across Northern Ireland and the North-West.” Temperatures were not expected to beat yearly records yesterday in Northern Ireland or Scotland, with highest estimates at 28°C (82.4°F) in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and 22°C (71.6°F) in Threave, Scotland. Yesterday’s high temperatures mark the beginning of an official heatwave across the UK, as in London and the t South-East, temperatures temperatu must exceed 28°C for at least three days to record a heatwave, and yesterday was the third day. This requirement drops to 27°C (80.6°F) in the Midlands and 26°C (78.8°F) in the South-West, which was also
been met yesterday and is also expected to continue throughout the week.
The RSPCA recently put out a warning to dog-owners that dogs must not be left inside cars, even for just a few minutes, during hot weather. The charity said that even if parked in the shade or with the window cracked open, dogs’ lives were still at risk in temperatures in the low twenties, as the interior of the car could reach up to 47°C (117°F).
Tesco has set up patrols in some of its car parks with the RSPCA to look for dogs left in cars. Staff at the supermarket have been trained so they know what to look out for and how to help if a dog is showing signs of heatstroke.
Animal care provider Vets Now warned that temperatures above 20°C (68°F) put dogs at risk, and that survival rates for dogs with heatstroke is just 50%.