UK issues first extreme heat red alert, predicting temperatures reaching 40 degrees

Temperatures could exceed records or even the threshold of 40°C. The heat record in the United Kingdom stands at 38.7°C, recorded in Cambridge (east of England) on July 25, 2019.

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It’s unprecedented. The British Meteorological Service issued, Friday, July 15, for the first time a red alert “extreme heat” for Monday and Tuesday in England. Temperatures could exceed records or even the threshold of 40°C.

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“Exceptional temperatures, possibly record, are likely at the beginning of next week”said Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist at Britain’s Met Office, in a statement. “There is currently a 50% chance that we will see temperatures reach 40°C and an 80% chance that new maximum temperatures will be reached”, he added. The record heat ever recorded in the United Kingdom stands at 38.7°C, recorded at the botanical garden in Cambridge (east of England) on July 25, 2019.

Events “clearly linked to global warming”

nights “exceptionally hot” are also expected, particularly in urban areas. “We hoped never to come to this situation, but for the first time we have forecasts that exceed 40°C in the UK”said Nikos Christidis, climate scientist at the Met Office.

He points out that the “global warming is already influencing the possibility of extreme temperatures in the country”. The risks of reaching 40°C “could be 10 times more likely in the current climate than in a natural climate that would not be affected by human influence”, he insists. The Met Office points out that “the frequency, duration and intensity of these events in recent decades are clearly linked to global warming and can be attributed to human activity”.


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