Thousands brave the heat to watch summer solstice sunrise
Temperatures in Salisbury and Greater London reached 18C by 5am, according to the Met Office.
The weather bureau confirmed that Yeovilton in Somerset and Crosby in Merseyside recorded the highest overnight temperatures in England, both reaching 19.7C by 6am on Saturday.
The sun rises over Cullercoats Bay on North Tyneside (Owen Humphreys/PA)
Towns in Cumbria and Lancashire also recorded temperatures above 19C.
An amber heat-health alert for all regions in England remains in place for the weekend.
Solstice events at Stonehenge mark some of the rare occasions visitors are allowed close to the stones at the World Heritage site.
In the lead up to the event, both Stonehenge and Wiltshire Police posted social media warnings about heavy traffic and pedestrians.
Stonehenge is a monument built on the alignment of the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset.
On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone -the ancient entrance to the Stone Circle – and rays of sunlight are channelled into the centre of the monument.
It is believed solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.
(PA Graphics)
The summer solstice takes place as one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun as it reaches its highest position in the sky, ensuring the longest period of daylight for the year.
English Heritage curator of history Jennifer Wexler said people had been marking the solstice at the stones going back thousands of years.
'The solstice at Stonehenge is one of our most special moments,' she told an English Heritage live stream.
'It's the longest day of the year, but also the time when the sun is the highest in the sky.
'We think people were marking it here on site and gathering here for thousands of years.'
The sun rises over The Shard in London (PA)
The Met Office confirmed that 'many places' in England and 'one or two areas' in Wales, including Cardiff, entered a heatwave on Friday.
The amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
How's the weather looking for the bank holiday weekend?
The bank holiday weekend for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland is just around the corner, but what does the weather have in store? Like much of the summer, which is likely to be one of the hottest on record, high pressure looks to be in charge, which will keep things mostly settled on Saturday and Sunday. It'll be largely dry, with some sunshine, but a few showers can't be ruled out. Bank holiday Monday may well be similar, but details are more uncertain, as some computer models bring rain to southern and western parts. After a cooler few days, temperatures are set to rise over the weekend, but they'll still be a long way off the record for the August bank holiday, which stands at 33.3C back in 2019. Check the weather forecast where you are Instead, temperatures will widely reach the low to mid-twenties, but North Sea coasts could well stay disappointingly cool, with more cloud and an onshore breeze. There are signs that the weather will turn more unsettled after the long weekend, but exactly when and how much rain is seen will depend on what happens with the remnants of Hurricane Erin, a tropical storm currently to the east of the Bahamas. There is a lot of uncertainty in the forecast, which often happens at this time of the year when the Atlantic hurricane season picks up.
Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Press and Journal
Gallery: Warm weather hits Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire for the last week of school holidays
With the final week of the school holidays underway, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire have been basking in summer sunshine. Sun seekers took the opportunity to soak up the sun, making the most of the warm weather before Schools reopen on Tuesday, August 19. With Storm Floris hitting just last week, the north-east has quickly swapped wind and rain for blue skies and sunshine. Temperatures could reach 26°C during the last week of the school summer holidays, as the Met Office forecasts a spell of warm, sunny weather. Our photographers were out to capture the day as the north-east enjoyed the last week of the summer holiday before returning to school.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Why Britons spend more than two days a year talking about weather
Come rain, come shine, talking about the weather is what Britons are known for the world over. And now research suggests Britons spend more than two days a year indulging in their favourite preoccupation. A survey for the Met Office has found that people in the UK spend on average 56.6 hours – or two days and nearly nine hours – every year discussing the topic. Three in five people (60 per cent) said the weather was their go-to small-talk subject, and one in five said they would welcome more education on weather patterns and how they affect broader society. The study was conducted during one of the warmest summers on record so far, including four widespread heatwaves across the UK. Met Office figures show the UK will this year have one of its hottest summers on record, with both maximum and minimum temperatures significantly above average. The UK's mean temperature from 1 June to Sunday 17 August is 16.2C, which is 1.5C above the long-term average for the season. Coincidentally, 1.5C of global warming is the figure that, if consistent over 20 years, scientists say will trigger catastrophic effects. Last week, heat health alerts were extended for much of the UK as a hot and sunny weekend loomed. Much of the country is also under hosepipe bans because of the drought, which has seen the government announce a 'nationally significant' water shortage in England. Reservoirs are also at extremely low levels and groundwater is dwindling. The researchers found that the weather was a more popular subject of discussion than family (26 per cent) and even holidays (24 per cent). Nearly half of people surveyed (43 per cent) said they often use weather to start conversations, and more than a quarter (28 per cent) talked about it at least once a day. For most (70 per cent), talking about the weather is an easy way to connect with other people. Nearly four in five (79 per cent) of those surveyed said they checked the forecast daily. People recognised that agriculture was the most likely industry to be affected by the weather (91 per cent), followed by construction (87 per cent). Meteorologist Alex Deakin said the study found people were interested in the inner workings of the weather and how it shaped lives, livelihoods and national identity. 'We at the Met Office know the power of weather intelligence beyond everyday conversation and how innovative weather forecasts play a key role in delivering prosperity and economic growth to the UK,' he said. The Met Office is launching a campaign aiming to deepen understanding of the power of weather and climate intelligence for national infrastructure, economic growth and 'value for government'.
