Extreme Heatwave Being Recorded by Met Office in UK With Temperatures of 40C

The climate issue is causing extreme weather all around the planet, and temperatures in the northern hemisphere have been particularly vulnerable to these changes.

So meteorologists at the UK Met Office, the country's official weather forecasting office, delved into extremely long-term climate models in the summer of 2020 to see what type of temperatures they should expect in around three decades.

Exceptional heat is anticipated to hit most of England early next week, with temperatures hitting the upper 30s C in some regions and perhaps exceeding 40° C in others.

Red weather alert in the UK

(Photo : Lucian Dachman/Unsplash)

The Red Extreme Heat national severe weather warning will be in effect for sections of central, northern, eastern, and southeastern England on Monday and Tuesday (18th and 19th July).

Since early this week, an Amber Extreme heat warning has been in effect for parts of England and Wales for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

The amber zones are now being expanded to include Cornwall, West Wales, and sections of southern Scotland.

Exceptional, maybe record-breaking temperatures are expected early next week, relatively extensively over the red alert region on Monday, and centered a bit more east and north on Tuesday, according to Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen.

There is now a 50% possibility that temperatures will exceed 40°C and an 80% likelihood that a new high temperature will be set.

Nights are also expected to be quite warm, particularly in metropolitan areas. This is expected to have far-reaching consequences for people and infrastructure.

As a result, it is critical that individuals prepare for the heat and consider modifying their habits. This kind of heat can be harmful to one's health.

The rise in the alert level to red coincides with the UK Health Security Agency raising the existing Heat Health Warning for England to Level 4.

The high-pressure system that has been responsible for this week's mild weather continues to dominate, providing mostly dry and clear weather across the majority of the UK.

However, a rising southerly flow will allow the very high temperatures that are presently accumulating across the continent to begin to move northward into the UK during the weekend.

Further north, eastern Scotland might experience temperatures in the mid-20s in a few spots, much above their seasonal normal.

Read more: Heatwave to Hit the UK in April and Climate Change is to Blame: Met Office Forecast

The hypothetical weather is coming true

Simon Lee, an atmospheric scientist at Columbia University in New York, saw a striking resemblance between the 2050 projection and the forecast for early next week in the United Kingdom, as per CNN.

"Today, the prognosis for Tuesday is startlingly almost the same for major sections of the country," Simon tweeted, later adding, "what is coming on Tuesday provides a peek into the future."

This prognosis will appear quite ordinary in 30 years.

Temperatures in the UK are expected to be 10 to 15 degrees higher than average early next week.

For the first time, highs might reach 40 degrees Celsius (about 104 degrees Fahrenheit), prompting meteorologists in the area to issue a "red" heat warning.

This is about more than a few unpleasant days. Extreme heat is one of the most lethal weather phenomena, although we seldom witness it happening in the present when heat stroke and mortality are linked to underlying diseases such as heart disease or lung disease.

According to recent studies, just about 5% of UK households have air conditioning to keep people cool.

People witnessed a frighteningly identical situation play out in the United States only last summer when the Pacific Northwest was hit with days of high heat.

Hundreds of people perished as a result of the heatwave. More than 800 "excess fatalities" occurred during the heat, according to British Columbia officials, deaths that were unexpected and out of the ordinary for that time of year.

Related article: Heatwave 2022: Scorching Temperatures Recorded in India and Pakistan for April