UK's hottest day of the year has arrived - but temperature could still climb
The Met Office predicted temperatures could peak at 35C in London and the South East, following Monday's record-breaking start to Wimbledon.
This marks the second heatwave for parts of the UK within a month, with June also being England's warmest on record, and climate scientists linking such events to human influence.
The UK Health Security Agency has extended amber heat health alerts across much of England, warning of potential impacts on health and social care services.
Temperatures are expected to significantly drop after Tuesday, with a cooler, wetter front moving south, though warnings for wildfires remain due to dry conditions.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Europe heatwave latest: Eiffel Tower summit closed as continent faces record-breaking temperatures
France has closed the Eiffel Tower summit and shuttered almost 2,000 schools as a brutal heatwave breaks temperature records across Europe. Spain and Portugal logged their highest-ever June temperatures as authorities took urgent measures across Mediterranean nations. Spain saw its hottest June since 1914, with Barcelona hitting 37.9C and Madrid forecast to reach 39°C while Portugal's Mora town peaked at 46.6C. Italy banned outdoor work in some parts as red alerts were issued in 17 major cities. In Florence, power outages hit the city centre, and a worker near Bologna died in a suspected heat-related incident. Turkey battled wildfires for a third day, forcing the evacuation of about 50,000 people. The current high-pressure system set in late last week, bringing temperatures up to 10C higher than normal for this time in summer, with the system moving east across Europe from the Iberian peninsula. Marine heatwave pushes up Mediterranean Sea temperature Mediterranean Sea temperatures surged in June in a marine heatwave, with a Greek scientist warning some species are under threat in what has likely been a record period. The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said Copernicus Marine Service data showed sea surface temperatures on 22 June were more than 5Cs above the seasonal average. The most intense warming in what it called a "marine heatwave" was observed in the western Mediterranean basin, including the Balearic Sea, off Spain, and the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the west coast of Italy, it said. "We have seen temperatures we were expecting in the middle of August being recorded in June and ... this is why it is considered a record year for temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea," Christos Spyrou, associate researcher at the Academy of Athens research centre for atmospheric physics, said. He said that the average sea temperatures in June were 3-6 degrees higher than the average between 1982-2023, which was used as a reference period. "We expected these sea temperatures in August," Spyrou said, adding specific temperatures were not yet available. "Some species will not be able to reproduce or survive in these conditions, especially in increasing temperatures.' Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to Copernicus, making extreme heatwaves occur earlier in the year, and persist into later months. Several Italian regions banned outdoor work during the hottest hours of the day on Tuesday, France shut scores of schools and Spain confirmed last month as its hottest June on record as a severe heatwave gripped Europe, triggering widespread health alerts. A 69-year-old Greek resident who gave his name as Christos said he had noticed the warming waters off Athens. 'I have been coming here for 11 years, I believe the sea is a little warmer than other years. Every year it gets warmer, both in winter and in summer," he said Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 05:22 In pictures: Sweltering heatwave scorches Europe Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 04:38 Schools and Eiffel Tower summit shut in France as red alert extended France is on high alert as temperatures soar to 40–41C, with the red alert extended till today. National weather agency Meteo-France placed several departments under the highest red alert. The Eiffel Tower's summit remains closed until Thursday for 'everyone's comfort and safety'. Visitors to the Eiffel Tower without tickets were told to postpone their visits. The number of schools shut across the country has surged to nearly 1,900, up from just 200 on Monday, in a dramatic response to the intensifying heatwave. A Paris-Milan rail service was disrupted because of a mudslide on the French side of the Alps, with full service not expected to be fully restored until mid-July, French rail operator SNCF said. Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 04:20 Barcelona logs hottest June in over a century Barcelona logged its hottest June since 1914, with an average temperature of 26C. Monday alone saw a searing 37.9C, breaking all previous records for the month. Barcelona is usually spared the worst heat in Spain, thanks to its location between hills and the Mediterranean. Shweta Sharma2 July 2025 03:59 What is a heat dome? Weather system explained Large swathes of the UK and Europe are sweltering through a heatwave, with England's southeast set to hit temperatures of 35C and parts of Europe including Paris, Rome and Athens to near 40C. The extended period of above-average temperatures and tropical nights with minimum temperatures staying above 20C could be exacerbated by a heat dome. Here, Rachel Clun looks at how the weather event is sending temperatures soaring across Europe. What is a heat dome? Weather system explained as Europe faces sweltering temperatures Temperatures are expected to drop by the end of the week across much of Europe Bryony Gooch2 July 2025 03:00 Full list of countries affected by heatwave Dozens of heat warnings are in place across France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and well as the Balkans, according to weather aggregator MeteoAlarm. 'Extreme heat is no longer a rare event – it has become the new normal,' UN secretary general Antonio Guterres warned. 'The planet is getting hotter & more dangerous – no country is immune.' Here, The Independent has put together a full list of European countries currently in the grip of a heatwave and the current advice being given to locals and tourists. Full list of European countries under heatwave alerts as mercury soars to 46C Dozens of heat warnings are in place across tourist hotspots including France, Spain and Italy Daniel Keane2 July 2025 02:00 Europe is world's fastest warming continent Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global average, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service, with extreme heatwaves starting earlier in the year and persisting for longer. "What is exceptional ... but not unprecedented is the time of year," said World Meteorological Organisation spokesperson Clare Nullis, adding that extreme heat episodes were seen now "which normally we would see later on in the summer." Higher temperatures in the Mediterranean Sea tend to reinforce extreme temperatures over land areas, she said. Bryony Gooch2 July 2025 01:00 'Heatwaves are silent killers' - the dangers of extreme heat Extreme heat kills up to 480,000 people annually around the world, according to insurance company Swiss Re, which notes this exceeds the combined toll from floods, earthquakes and hurricanes. Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, research fellow at the Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, said: "Heatwaves are silent killers. "Unlike floods or storms, their impact can be invisible: people who die during extreme heat usually have pre-existing health conditions, and heat is rarely recorded as a contributing cause of death." Bryony Gooch2 July 2025 00:00 'Climate refuge' set up in southern Malaga by Red Cross The Red Cross set up an air-conditioned "climate refuge" for residents in southern Malaga, said IFRC spokesperson Tommaso Della Longa. Spanish Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to support the most vulnerable population groups – the very old and the very young, pregnant women, people working outdoors – and the National Society has launched a public-health information drive to provide advice on how to store medication safely and protect pets. The Red Cross set up a 'climate refuge', air-conditioned down to the low twenties, to help residents 'cope with the heat in comfort and with company, avoiding the isolation and loneliness' that extreme heat can impose, as people are forced to stay indoors. Bryony Gooch1 July 2025 23:00 Barcelona marks hottest June in over a century Barcelona recorded its hottest month of June since records started more than a century ago, Spain's national weather service said as Europe remained in the grip of the first major heatwave of the summer. The Fabra Observatory, located on a hill overlooking the city, reported an average temperature of 26C, breaking records since 1914. The previous hottest average for June was 25.6C in 2003. The same weather station said a single-day high of 37.9C for June was recorded on Monday.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
UK weather maps show exactly where next hot spell will hit in 36C scorcher
Starting from today, temperatures will be cooler than the past few days - but in just over 10 days, we are set for another heatwave with highs of 36C, weather maps show The UK had its hottest day of the year so far as temperatures exceeded 34C on Tuesday, with new weather maps showing where the next heatwave is set to bring 36C. Starting from today, we will experience cooler conditions, with highs reaching the mid-20s across the country - less warm than the past few days. But the cold conditions are likely to be replaced by another heatwave in less than two weeks, according to the latest weather maps. On July 14, parts of the UK could experience temperatures as hot as 36C - with even the Scottish Highlands seeing highs of 25C. The maps, from WXCharts, show that areas around London and Southampton will be the warmest, with maximum temperatures oscillating between 35 and 36C. READ MORE: Met Office urgently asks UK households to follow 11am 'rule' this week Other areas such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Stoke, Worcester and Luton will see highs of between 32C and 33C, the maps predict. The heatwave predictions com after the Met Office confirmed that 34.7C was recorded at at St James's Park in central London on Tuesday afternoon, beating a 34.4C reading recorded in Writtle, Essex earlier in the day. The previous warmest day in the UK in 2025 was June 21 when 33.2C was recorded in Charlwood, Surrey. It also exceeded Monday's peak temperature of 33.1C at Heathrow, which marked the hottest start to Wimbledon on record. The hot weather marks the second heatwave for parts of the UK within the last month, with scientists warning the searing temperatures earlier in June were made 100 times more likely because of human-caused climate change. Provisional Met Office figures, released on Tuesday, show England had its warmest June on record last month, while the UK experienced its second warmest since the series began in 1884 - only surpassed by June 2023. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has amber heat health alerts in place for much of the country until Wednesday morning. A man died after getting into difficulty in water off Skegness beach in Lincolnshire at around 3.30pm on Saturday, the local RNLI Lifeguards team said in a Facebook post. In Bedfordshire, gritters have been dispatched to protect the roads and provide grip for drivers amid concerns the heat could cause the tarmac to soften, the local council said in a Facebook post. Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said Tuesday was likely to mark "the peak of this current heatwave in terms of absolute temperatures we're expecting." "It's a continuation of recent days in the South East in particular, with those temperatures well beyond average for the time of year, in a fairly notable heatwave," he added. However, Tuesday also brought the start of a transition towards more average temperatures, as a cooler, wetter front over Scotland and the north of England gradually moves south-eastwards. According to the Met Office, some parts of eastern England and eastern Scotland could experience some heavy rain today - and generally, the air will feel fresher across the country. More showers are likely on Thursday as the weekend weather is likely to be unsettled, forecasters said. Looking ahead at the end of this week and next week, we are likely to experience more rain before warm conditions return in the middle of July. The Met Office's long-range weather forecast from Sunday, July 6 to Tuesday, July 15 says: "Cloud and rain associated with an Atlantic frontal system and area of low pressure is likely to sweep south and east, with rain always most persistent on western hills, especially western Scotland where large rainfall totals may have built up by this time. Eastern areas in shelter could see warm and humid brighter breaks, but with a risk of thundery showers, which could be slow moving at first. "Likely turning cooler and more showery into next week, followed by a changeable pattern with further areas of cloud and rain and brighter, more settled spells in-between. Temperatures are likely to be around average overall, with an increasing chance of warmth in the south as the period progresses." UK 5 day weather forecast This Evening and Tonight: Rather cloudy across Scotland and eastern England overnight with outbreaks of rain. Mainly dry elsewhere with clear spells, particularly in the west. Another warm night to come across the southeast of England, but feeling slightly fresher elsewhere. Wednesday: A risk of some heavy rain developing for a time across eastern England and eastern Scotland although tending to clear later. Mainly fine with sunny spells elsewhere and feeling fresher. Outlook for Thursday to Saturday: Showers in the northwest Thursday and Friday, but dry and settled in the southeast. Becoming more widely unsettled into the weekend. Temperatures close to average for the time of year.
Times
3 hours ago
- Times
How to track temperature change over the years
If you wish to know current hourly temperatures across various weather stations in the UK then is the website for you. By clicking on a temperature symbol you can see the latest reading and comparisons with the rest of the day, the month, the year and even historical readings going back decades. As for 'normal', this is the temperature taken at the same time of day and time of year averaged over a 30-year period, from 1991 to 2020. This is a striking way of showing how the country's climate is changing with rising temperatures — important benchmarks because it is easy to lose sight of how much hotter each place is becoming. The website, designed by Dan Harris and Ed Hawkins, was inspired by a similar idea in Australia. Another vivid example of changing climate is Hawkins's use of 'climate stripes', with various shades of red for hot and blue for cold, representing the average temperature for a single year going back over nearly two centuries. The result is a powerful way of showing how the climate has warmed not just in the UK but also across every country in the world, mainly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. As for this June in the UK, it comes as no surprise that it was hotter than normal, especially in the southeast and East Anglia, where last month's two heatwaves were concentrated. Many parts of the UK also suffered a severe lack of rain, with northeast, east, central and southeast England having particularly low rainfall after early June. The dry conditions followed six months with little rain that left many eastern and southern rivers with low levels of water. Reservoir storage has also declined across most areas after high demand in the hot weather, so it is no wonder that hosepipe bans may be coming shortly in Yorkshire Water, Thames Water and Southern Water areas.
