U.K. Records Its Hottest Temperature Ever Amid Extreme Heatwave

Topline

The U.K. recorded its hottest ever temperature on Tuesday, according to provisional Met Office figures, as the country faces a second day of extreme heat amid warnings of wildfires and reports of melting roads.

Key Facts

Key Background

The U.K. is not accustomed to extreme heat nor is its infrastructure designed with such high temperatures in mind. Transport ground to a halt as roads and runways melted and railways buckled, hospitals canceled appointments and schools closed. Exceptionally few residential properties have air conditioning and many buildings, particularly older ones like hospitals, are not designed for higher temperatures and can get dangerously warm. Soaring temperatures in the U.K. are part of a broader heatwave afflicting Europe, with France also bracing for record temperatures. The extreme heat has sparked fierce wildfires across the continent in countries including Spain, Greece and France. Experts universally point to human-driven climate change as a contributing cause for the heat and warn that the worsening climate crisis means such events will become more frequent and more severe in the future.

Further Reading

Why don’t homes in Britain have air-conditioning? (NYT)

Why do NHS hospitals struggle to handle heatwaves? (BMJ)