By Ode Idoko in London
The UK government has warned Britons of likely widespread disruption as temperatures look set to surge to a dangerously high peak over the coming days.
Forecasters say there is a 30% chance the mercury could surpass the current UK record of 38.7C, set in Cambridge in 2019, as temperatures continue to climb over the weekend and into next week.
This comes even as temperatures in Portugal and China hit 43 degree Celsius and 41.3 degree Celsius on Tuesday respectively.
In London people struggle to sleep due to the high temperatures with many cooling off in various parks in the day time.
According to the Met Office, the temperature did not dip below 20C in the capital – meaning it can officially be classed as a “tropical night”.
Forecaster identifies which day record UK temperature is most likely. It has been suggested that a potential record high UK temperature was most likely over the weekend.
Forecaster Matthew Box said, “As we get into Sunday it looks like we could see temperatures rise into the high 20s and the low 30s as well but potentially a few spots getting 34C or 35C by Sunday and probably the same again on Monday.
“We could see by Monday temperatures getting towards the mid or high 30s and there’s about a 30% chance we could see the UK record broken, most likely on Monday at the moment.”
According to Hannah Thomas-Peter, a climate change and energy correspondent in Portugal, “standing in the forested hills north of Lisbon feels like standing in an oven. Our thermometer showed 43C (109.4F) at around midday as a hot, bone dry wind whipped ash into our faces.
“We had followed a team of firefighters as they scrambled to dampen down flames burning through the drought-parched trees and scrub. The heat must have been unbearable for them in their heavy suits, lumbering up and down steep and rocky hillsides.
Portugal’s prime minister had already issued a grim warning that things are likely to get worse in the coming days, as temperatures climb towards 46C (114.8F) in some parts of the country.
Manuel Santos, who is second in command of the firefighting operation in the region north of Lisbon, said: “There is an extensive area that is already burned. The temperature is rising and we are worried”.
In China, a red alert has been issued as the country bakes in record high temperatures. Several Chinese cities broke new records for high temperatures. yesterday as scorching heat and contrasting relentless rains wreaked havoc during extreme weather that is expected to linger for days.
The red alerts, the highest in a three-tier warning system, were issued throughout the country and cities to take measures to protect people from the scorching heat, which broke records for the month of July in parts of eastern Jiangsu province and the neighbouring city of Shanghai.
Temperatures in the city of Yixing in Jiangsu rose as high as 41.3 degree Celsius, a new historic peak, the China Meteorological Administration said on Wednesday.
The hashtag #Heatstroke was trending on social media with 2.45 million views on the Weibo social platform of discussions ranging from people being admitted to hospital and the detrimental effects of long-term heat exposure.
“This year’s weather is really hot and abnormal, it has been more than 30 degrees Celsius for two months!” wrote one Weibo user.
Experts blame global climate change for the unusual weather. As temperatures approached 42C in some areas, heavy rain battered parts of Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Shandong, Hebei, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang provinces and Inner Mongolia region. Weather to cool slightly before widespread disruption is expected as temperatures soar again
