Extract from ABC News
UK issues first-ever 'red' warning for hot weather as record temperatures forecast next week.
Britain's Meteorological Office has issued its first ever "red" warning for exceptional heat, saying record temperatures early next week will put even healthy people at risk of serious illness and death.
Key points:
- The weather alert is for an area stretching from London to Manchester
- Temperatures in England may reach 40C for the first time
- The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK is 38.7C
The warning was for Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in England might reach 40 degrees Celsius for the first time, the agency said.
The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK is 38.7C, set in 2019.
The alert comes as scientists say climate change is increasing the likelihood of exceptional heat waves in Britain, a country better known for grey skies and rain.
The chances of temperatures like those forecast for next week are already 10 times higher than they would be without the influence of human activity, said Nikos Christidis, a Met Office climate scientist.
"In a recent study we found that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK has been increasing and will continue to do so during the course of the century, with the most extreme temperatures expected to be observed in the south-east of England.''
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) increased its own alert to the highest level, warning of a "national emergency".
The warning system was created in 2004, when concerns about climate change spurred authorities to develop their first plan to protect the public from severe heat.
'This is a very serious situation'
Temperatures are expected to build over the weekend before peaking on Monday and Tuesday.
The weather alert, which covers a big chunk of England from London north to Manchester, also warns of potential disruption to air and rail travel and potential "localised loss of power and other essential services, such as water or mobile phone services".
"If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, now is the time to make sure they're putting suitable measures in place to be able to cope with the heat because if the forecast is as we think it will be in the red warning area, then people's lives are at risk,'' Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said.
"This is a very serious situation."
The two agencies issued lower-level warnings earlier this week as large parts of the UK experienced above-average temperatures, although cooler weather prevailed on Thursday and Friday.
"Even as a climate scientist who studies this stuff, this is scary," said Professor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher at the University of Reading.
"This feels real. At the start of the week, I was worried about my goldfish getting too hot. Now I'm worried about the survival of my family and my neighbours."
Nigel Arnell, a professor of climate system science at the University of Reading, said Britain needs to prepare for more hot weather in the future, retrofitting buildings to cope with extreme weather and planting more greenery in cities.
Adaptation and resilience need to become a political priority, he said.
"We can't keep on dealing with extremes in crisis mode," Mr Arnell said.
AP
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