The UK is on high alert for a potentially catastrophic heatwave this summer, as forecasters warn that the country may experience its longest and most intense period of hot weather since 1911. The warning comes after two significant heatwaves in recent months, with May's record-breaking temperature of 35.1C set in Kew Gardens, London, under a 'heat dome' of high pressure.
Weather patterns have shifted dramatically over the past month, leading to another intense heatwave that broke the all-time June temperature record. The Met Office issued only its second 'red extreme heat warning' since 2021 this week, covering south-east Wales and southern England, resulting in school closures and disruptions to transport networks.
According to the Met Office's three-month summer outlook, which was issued on 1st June, there is a higher chance of hot weather for both July and August. The forecast suggests that 'significant bursts' of heat will affect not just the UK but also wider Europe. Notably, above-average temperatures are expected throughout the summer period.
Met Office scientists attribute this escalating trend to human-induced climate change, which is raising baseline temperatures and making heatwaves hotter, more frequent, and longer-lasting. Experts warn that if global warming continues at its current rate, temperatures in the mid-forties Celsius could become a serious possibility for the UK by 2050.
Dr. Theodore Keeping, an extreme weather and wildfire researcher at Imperial College London, states that the link between climate change and worsening heatwaves is 'settled'. Dr. Akshay Deoras, a senior research climate scientist at the University of Reading, echoes this sentiment, highlighting that drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions are necessary to mitigate global warming.