Much of UK in for reprieve from hot weather as heatwave starts coming to an end
Temperatures which have exceeded 30C in several parts of the country and broken multiple records over the weekend are widely forecast to cool.
People enjoy the hot weather in Bristol (Ben Birchall/PA)
'The heatwave is starting to come to an end as low pressure starts to move in from the Atlantic,' Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said.
'We say goodbye to high pressure as this area of low pressure takes over, bringing bands of heavy rain, some thundery downpours, but also bringing in some fresher conditions across many parts.'
Central and eastern parts of England are expected to hold on to the warmth on Monday, with forecasts of 25C-26C, while East Anglia and south-east England could potentially hit 30C.
But the rest of the UK is expected to see temperatures ranging between 18C and 22C.
Doris, a Devon Rex cat, perches on a windowsill next to a portable fan (Yui Mok/PA)
Northern England and southern Scotland are most likely to see heavy downpours and some rumbles of thunder but forecasters say there will be plenty of sunny spells developing across the UK through the day.
The peak of the heatwave hit on Saturday, when Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all recorded their warmest day of the year so far – with Scotland and Northern Ireland reaching temperatures they have not hit in years.
Although the hot weather continued on Sunday, temperatures did drop slightly as forecast.
Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire hit 30.8C while Achnagart in the Scottish Highlands reached 30.4C, Cardiff's Bute Park 30.2C and Castlederg in Co Tyrone 27.1C.
The heatwave saw fire and rescue teams tackling wildfires in London, Surrey, and Perth in Scotland, and a hosepipe ban come into force in Yorkshire, with similar restrictions issued for Kent and Sussex from July 18.
Oasis fans were told on Friday to prepare for extreme sun and heat ahead of the band's sets at Heaton Park in Manchester while penguin chicks at London Zoo cooled off with their first dip in the big pool.
Sport was disrupted by the heat, with multiple pauses of play at Wimbledon as tennis fans required medical attention and Thursday's England versus India cricket match at Lord's briefly stopped after an influx of ladybirds – which are said to be in high numbers because of the heat – distracted players.
A host of warnings were issued over dangers arising out of the hot temperatures.
A swimmer in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool 35 metres above ground between two apartment buildings in Nine Elms, south London (James Manning/PA)
Fire chiefs urged people to stay safe as they warned of the increased risk of wildfires and drowning, with the National Fire Chiefs Council asking people not to enter water to try to cool down and urging parents and carers to ensure children are supervised around water at all times.
HM Coastguard issued safety advice for people heading to the coast, as data from the water incident database shows most drownings happened in July over the last three years.
National Rail warned train passengers that the hot weather might cause disruption during the weekend.
And the RNLI warned beachgoers that, despite the heat, there is still a risk of cold water shock.
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The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
‘Extreme' heat and rainfall is becoming the new normal in the UK, says Met Office
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"This extra sea level rise contribution is leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme sea levels and an intensification of coastal hazards." Nature's feeling the heat too The UK's changing climate isn't just messing with our weather - it's also affecting the natural world. In spring 2024, frogspawn and nesting blackbirds both showed up earlier than ever. In fact, 12 of 13 spring events tracked were earlier than average. This change in seasonal timing (called phenology) matters a lot. Animals like hedgehogs and dormice rely on certain seasonal cues to survive. When it's too warm too early, fruits and nuts ripen too soon - and by autumn, there's not enough food left to help them fatten up for winter. Article continues below Dr Judith Garforth from the Woodland Trust, said: 'Looking at the phenology data we can see examples of how nature is responding to both weather, in the short-term, and climate, in the long-term. 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ITV News
2 hours ago
- ITV News
Extreme weather to become the UK's new normal, Met Office warns
Extremes of heat and rainfall are becoming the new normal in the UK, the Met Office has warned in its latest report looking at Britain's changing climate. In its latest State of the Climate report, which covers the year 2024, it also confirms for the first time that sea level rise in the UK is higher than the global average, increasing risks of coastal flooding and erosion. The report's lead author said the UK's climate "is now notably different to what it was just a few decades ago." The report highlights how the trend of the UK's average temperature has been going up roughly 0.25C each year, with some cooler years mixed in, since the 1980s. The last three years have been in the UK's top five warmest on record, with 2024 being the warmest since records began in 1884. The report comes as the UK comes to the end of its third heatwave of the year, with much of the country experiencing temperatures above 30C on Friday and over the weekend. Amber and yellow heat health alerts, which have been in place across England, warning of the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, ended at 9am on Monday morning. The report also examines how much of the change within the wider trends is caused by more extreme days during the peak of winter and summer, rather than a more gradual change across the entire year. When comparing the most recent decade, 2015-2024, to 1961-1990, the hottest summer days and coldest winter nights have warmed around twice as much as average summer days and winter nights have in some parts of the UK. At the same time, the frequency of the coldest nights we experience has also dropped dramatically. Met Office Climate Scientist and Lead Author of the State of the UK Climate report, Mike Kendon, said: 'Every year that goes by is another upward step on the warming trajectory our climate is on. "Observations show that our climate in the UK is now notably different to what it was just a few decades ago. "We are now seeing records being broken very frequently as we see temperature and rainfall extremes being the most affected by our changing climate." He also said the changes were not part of the "natural variation" of Earth's climate but were a result of greenhouse gas emissions. The report also said the UK's natural environment is adapting to the warmer weather, particularly with spring starting sooner. On average, there are two fewer weeks of morning frosts than there were between 1931-1990. Records collected by volunteers showed that in 2024, frogspawn appeared and blackbird nesting happened the earliest since this kind of recording began in 1999. Increased rainfall to lead to more flooding The report said rainfall was increasing, although this has much more variability. For the most recent decade, the number of months where counties are recording monthly rainfall totals of at least twice the 1991-2020 monthly average has increased by over 50% compared to the number in 1961-1990. The Met Office also noted that the increased rainfall falls almost entirely in the winter half of the year (October-March), with it up 16% in the last decade compared to 1961-1990. It said this has often led to more flooding, noting the severe rainfall from recent storms, with October 2023 to March 2024 being the wettest winter half-year on record for England and Wales in over 250 years. The Met Office did note that despite an increased threat of flooding from named storms, their analysis did not indicate the UK was becoming windier or stormier.
