The UK continues to swelter in the highest temperatures seen since 1976 with the South East of England forecast to face a sizzling 37C on Friday.
In what for us Australian’s probably isn’t headlining news, the UK is sweltering in the highest temperatures since 1976 with consecutive 30+C days this week alone.
Oh, we can hear you all now… “Tell us when you get to 45 plus and then we MIGHT be interested in hearing about it,”
The difference, of course, is that the UK isn’t set up for these kinds of temperatures, which means the country has virtually ground to a sweaty standstill, with 99 flake ice creams in hand.
Britain sizzles in summer #heatwave, in pictures https://t.co/8dNxjlwpcK pic.twitter.com/Hi0gYxlUDd
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) June 21, 2017
The great ‘British Bake Off’ of a different kind comes as extremely hot weather grips northern Europe. So far, the UK has seen the driest half of summer on record, with just 47mm of rain between June 1 and July 16.
The Independent UK weather forecast: Heatwave to continue into August as temperatures above 30C return over weekend The Independent Britain’s record summer heatwave is expected to continue into August, while temperatures of above 30C are forecast to… https://t.co/TweLdU8Ryz pic.twitter.com/as9XXUVNsx
— LutonTweets (@Lutontweets) July 16, 2018
In a nation that just loves to talk about the weather, the parks are now packed with people wearing their underwear and bikinis on their lunch breaks, shops are reporting desperate demand for fans, and water levels in many reservoirs are drying up.
Think about the London Tube for a second, where temps are topping 30 plus degrees due to the tunnels being too small to allow the heat to escape, effectively turning the Tube into a giant underground oven. Eww.
So while highs of up to 37C are forecast in southern, eastern and central England, the UK Met Office says “if conditions all come together”, the all-time record of 38.5C could be beaten.
Amazing to see how dry the land is from the drone. These two shots of Old Harry show it off pretty well. Can you guess which one I took last night? #loveukweather #StormHour #heatwave #dronephotography pic.twitter.com/H4UR0LrUI7
— Andy Lyons (@Lyonsphotos_uk) July 25, 2018
The good news is that torrential downpours are forecast to hit northern and eastern England on Friday afternoon and evening, bringing up to 60mm of rain in just three hours along with thunderstorms, large hail and gusty winds. That’s more like it Britain!
Temperatures will then drop a little to 25C by the weekend which will provide some welcome relief for a country that is today entering its 31st consecutive day that has brought a UK maximum of at least 26C.
So if you or your clients are heading over to blighty or indeed Europe be sure to take adequate steps to make sure you’re prepared for the heat. And of course in true Brit fashion, the rain!
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