A red weather warning for extreme heat has been issued by the Met Office, covering areas from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, from 9am Wednesday to 9pm Thursday. A 'heat-dome' settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of nearly 40C by Wednesday, with the latest heatwave expected to surpass the June record of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.
Schools Close to Protect Children
Hundreds of schools will fully or partially close over the next few days because of the extreme heat. Some 100 schools in Somerset will be closed over the next three days, with the vast majority fully closed on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Somerset Council. Around 100 schools will also be at least partially closed in Buckinghamshire, along with 86 schools in Gloucestershire, according to council data.
Children at some schools have been told they can wear PE kit rather than full school uniform, which can involve long trousers and blazers. Bledlow Ridge School in Buckinghamshire said it was closing as its 'classrooms do not have air conditioning, and indoor temperatures are likely to rise significantly above outdoor levels during very hot weather'. Archway School in Gloucestershire said it could not 'safely manage the expected extreme temperatures across the site', adding that it was 'concerned about the risks of travelling to and from school in these conditions'.
Record Temperatures Possible
The temperature could come close to the UK's all-time high of 40.3C measured in July 2022. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'The Met Office is flagging 39C as a headline maximum temperature on Thursday, most likely for somewhere in London or the South East. It is possible we could see temperatures higher than the 39C if the final values are at the upper end of our narrow range. It is important to remember that the temperature value is only one element of this extreme heatwave story. The other major factor is the high humidity which for many will make the intense heat even harder to endure.'
Overnight Tropical Night and Thunderstorms
Overnight, the temperature did not dip below 20C at nine locations across England, recording what the Met Office class as a tropical night. The hot weather led to thunderstorms and lightning strikes over England during the early hours of Tuesday. The Met Office said on Tuesday morning that Somerset had 'around 18,540 strikes in the past 24 hours'. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) received 400 calls overnight, including two house fires believed to be caused by lightning strikes and flooding of homes.
Transport Disruption
There was severe disruption across London's transport network during Tuesday morning. On the Elizabeth line, heavy rain caused flooding, disrupting services between Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 and Heathrow Terminal 4. Avanti West Coast said it planned to run fewer services than usual between Tuesday and Thursday, and that there was 'a risk of further disruption'. Chiltern Railways said it had axed more than half its services over the three days 'to ensure the safe operation of the railway'.
Environmental Measures
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said it had released extra water into the River Dee to help reduce the risk of fish deaths during the high temperatures.
