9 hours ago
image source,Archyde.com
The UK might have its hottest day on record this week, with temperatures expected to reach 41°C.
The Met Office issued a red warning for extreme heat across much of England on Monday (July 18) and Tuesday, from London all the way to York and Manchester.
The current record for the highest temperature in the UK is 38.7°C recorded in Cambridge in 2019.
The rest of the UK will also see high temperatures – orange warnings will be issued for the rest of England, all of Wales and parts of Scotland.
British Met Office issued a high temperature weather warning on the 18th and 19th
London is expected to be one of the hottest places in the world today (Monday), with soaring temperatures set to outpace Western Sahara and the Caribbean.
Some schools are planning to close or dismiss earlier, and Network Rail has announced the cancellation of some rail services.
The hot weather will continue into Tuesday and nighttime temperatures will also remain above 20 degrees, with temperatures expected to start to drop on Wednesday.
This is the first time the Met Office has issued a red warning since the red warning system was introduced last year.
That means (weather) might have “wide-ranging impacts on the public and infrastructure” requiring “significant changes to the way work is done and everyday life”.
Analysis: Is it really necessary to be surprised?
BBC weather forecast Sarah Keith-Lucas said,This is the first time the UK weather forecast chart shows temperatures above 40C.
It may seem scary, but in fact, we don’t need to make a fuss, she said. At the end of the day, we have been saying for the past 30 years that climate change is causing global warming.
Dr Eunice Rowe, a climate scientist at the University of Bristol, UK(Eunice Lo) told the BBC: “Rising temperatures are a sign of climate change”. In the UK, 2,000 more people die each year from heatwaves.
She said that since 1884, the UK’s top 10 annual hottest year has all occurred since 2002. “Global heat waves are now becoming more common and longer lasting.”
Dr Luo added: “We need to stop burning fossil fuels and act quickly now.”
In addition to the red and orange warnings issued by the Met Office, the UK Health Security Agency has issued a level four warning for England, which the government considers a “national emergency”.
On Saturday (16th), following government ministers held an emergency “Cobra meeting”, Health Secretary Steve Barclay said that the deployment of ambulances and emergency telephone operators would be increased.
The London Ambulance Service said they were receiving around 7,000 calls a day for help due to warmer temperatures, with 8,000 expected on Monday and Tuesday. Typically, London’s busiest day only receives around 5,500 calls for help, the department explained.
The soaring temperatures have also had devastating effects on much of Europe and North Africa, with wildfires raging from Greece to Morocco and thousands of people being evacuated in France and Spain.
In recent days, more than 1,000 people have died in Portugal and Spain linked to heat.
image source,Archyde.com
Many London Underground lines are not air-conditioned
Analysis: Why is it so hot? “I think you already know the answer”
Justin Rowlatt, BBC climate editor：
Heatwaves occur when the world’s average temperature rises by a little more than 1 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the United Nations’ climate science agency, we are living in the warmest period in 125,000 years.
We know the reason behind this – greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere are at their highest levels in 2 million years and rising, the IPCC said.
If all the commitments made by governments at the UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow last year are implemented, global temperatures are expected to rise by 2.4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
But the bad news is that carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise. If there are no big cuts by 2030, we might see even more warming. Scientists predict the increase might be as high as 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
what does that mean? I think you already know the answer. This means that heat waves like the present will be more frequent and intense.
