UK heatwave live: Weather and travel updates as trains cancelled out of King’s Cross and England expected to hit 43C today before cooling off on Wednesday – as temperatures hit 28C at 8am
Follow MailOnline’s liveblog for all the updates on the weather today as Britain braces for a 43C heatwave:
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Why IS it so hot? Britain heats up as combination of ‘Azores High’ pressure system pushing up from the south, Saharan desert air and ongoing climate change is expected to drive record UK temperature of 106°F
Britain could experience its hottest day on record today, with temperatures forecast to hit up to 43C.
But just why is the country in the midst of such a sweltering heatwave?
Experts say it is due to a number of factors, including winds blowing hot air up from north Africa and the Sahara, the ‘Azores High’ subtropical pressure system creeping farther north, and the ongoing impacts of climate change.
London is set to be one of the hottest places in the world, as temperatures soar above those in the Western Sahara and the Caribbean. The current highest temperature in the UK is 38.7°C (101.7°F), recorded in Cambridge in 2019.
Part of the reason behind the hot weather is that a pressure system called the Azores High, which usually sits off Spain, has grown larger and is being pushed northwards.
This has brought scorching temperatures to the UK, France and the Iberian peninsula. The high pressure near the southern half of Britain, which has been responsible for the recent warm weather, is also continuing to dominate overhead.
Click above to read more about what is causing this week’s astonishing heatwave…
Firefighters have shut off Oxford Circus tube station in central London.
A statement on TFL Access Twitter account said: ‘Oxford Circus Station: This station is closed while we respond to a fire alert. Tickets are being accepted on London Buses.’
Something going on at Oxford Circus pic.twitter.com/e6o4U4lKP5
Brian Jordan, director of 999 operations for London Ambulance Service, said the service saw a slight increase in calls for fainting and heat exposure on Monday.
The service received 6,600 emergency calls yesterday, which was slightly lower than predicted.
‘We really hope that’s because the public really have been listened to the messages about how they can look after themselves and only call 999 if it’s a genuine emergency,’ Mr Jordan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
‘People have been through a very long day yesterday and there’s been high temperatures overnight and with the even hotter temperatures today, I cannot really emphasise enough that people need to continue to do what we were asking them yesterday – to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, keep hydrated, look after more vulnerable friends, families, neighbours and use sun cream etc.’
He added: ‘As yesterday afternoon progressed we saw a slight increase in the rates of fainting and heat exposure’.
What is a heatwave?
According to the Met Office, a UK heatwave threshold is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days of abnormally warm weather – which is determined by thresholds.
In the UK, heatwaves are most common in summer when high pressure develops across an are and because they are slow moving they can persist over an area for a prolonged period of time.
They can occur in the UK due to the location of the jet stream, which is usually to the north of the UK in the summer. This can allow high pressure to develop over the UK resulting in persistent dry and settled weather.
Heatwaves are described as extreme weather events. However research shows that climate change is making these events more likely.
Click above to find out more about heatwaves on the Met Office website…
Asked on BBC Breakfast if the UK’s rail network can cope with the heat, he said: ‘The simple answer at the moment is no.
‘Where those tracks are 40 degrees in the air, on the ground that could be 50, 60, 70 and more. So you get a severe danger of tracks buckling, what we can’t have is trains running over those and a terrible derailing.
‘We’ve got to be very cautious and conscious of that, which is why there’s reduced speeds on large parts of the network.’
Network Rail says its highest recorded track temperature reached 62C yesterday, in Suffolk.
Trains have been heavily disrupted today following extreme heat yesterday and with Met Office forecasters predicting even hotter temperatures today.
Network Rail are concerned that tracks could buckle in the heat – hence why some operators have stopped services.
🌡️ Our hottest rail recorded yesterday was 62°C, in Suffolk!
Rail temperature can be about 20°C higher than air temperature, causing it to expand, bend and break:
👉 https://t.co/Z4yXpXDxjH
We're doing everything we can to keep you safe.#heatwaveuk #heatwave #statoftheday pic.twitter.com/nkEaD7zBkj
Schools in some areas have also shut – in Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire – sparking fury from parents
Parents have hit out at schools and nurseries that have shut their doors and cancelled trips due to the heatwave.
Schools in Nottinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire have decided to shut, while others are closing early on Monday and Tuesday amid warnings that temperatures may hit 43C.
Some sites have allowed students to learn from home, in a return to the remote set-up seen during the pandemic.
But parents have said the ‘totally ridiculous’ situation has led to ‘chaos’ as they are forced to juggle last-minute childcare alongside their jobs.
It comes after Oasis, one of England’s largest academy chains, said its schools would stay open and labelled some establishments’ decision to shut as ‘irresponsible’.
Britain has already been brought to a near standstill by the national emergency, with trains cancelled and Luton Airport closed as its runway has melted.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was today quizzed on Sky News about how prepared Britain is for heatwaves.
He said: ‘We’ve never seen temperatures like this, like literally ever. This is probably the hottest day in history. And a lot of our infrastructure is just not build for these types of temperatures.’
Asked how long it will take to upgrade existing rail infrastructure to be more resilient, he replied: ‘Decades, actually, to replace it all. Ditto with Tarmac on the roads.
‘There’s a long process of replacing it and upgrading it to withstand temperatures, either very hot or sometimes much colder than we’ve been used to, and these are the impacts of global warming.’
He said there was no Cobra meeting planned for Tuesday, with the Prime Minister instead chairing Cabinet.
'A lot of our infrastructure is just not built for this temperature'
Transport Secretary @grantshapps says it will take "decades to replace" the transport network in the UK.https://t.co/tZQg6n04ME
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/jx9FaTD9rj
There will be no Govia Thameslink Rail services north of London today, while services on the East Midlands line will also be impacted later.
No trains from Kings Cross overground station today pic.twitter.com/TQqRAzyIqR
Prince Charles has his say on heatwave: Prince of Wales says ‘says it vindicates his view ‘for quite some time’ that tackling climate change is essential
Prince Charles said the heatwave vindicates his view ‘for quite some time’ that tackling climate change is ‘utterly essential’ as Britain swelters in ‘alarming’ temperatures.
The Prince of Wales, 73, said national commitments to reach net zero have ‘never been more vitally important’ as he made a speech at an open-air event to mark his 70 years as Duke of Cornwall.
The nation is experiencing an extreme heatwave, with thermometers passing 38C (100F), resulting in school closures, train services being cut and ambulance crews facing rising numbers of 999 calls.
The mercury hit 38.1C (100F) in Santon Downham, Suffolk, by 4pm on Monday, making it the hottest day of the year, while temperatures topped 37C (98.6F) in a number of other places.
Charles has long campaigned on environmental issues and last autumn told Cop26, the UN climate change summit, the world has had enough of talking and commitments need to be put into practice.
‘The whole of the UK is pulling an all-nighter because of this heat’: Irritable Brits share frustration after struggling to sleep in 25C heat
Britons shared their frustration as they struggled to sleep last night during the warmest night on record in the UK.
Last night, Britons experienced the warmest night on record with London reaching 29C (84F) by midnight, while the mercury in Southampton hit 24C (75F).
Meanwhile, in Dover in Kent, the mercury stayed a few degrees cooler and reached 21C (70F) in the early hours of the morning while Aboyne in Aberdeenshire hit 19C (66F).
Twitter users were quick to share their pain after having trouble getting to sleep in the tropical temperatures.
One Twitter user wrote: ‘It’s currently 23C outside at 4.20am. Growing up in the North East of England I don’t think I encountered 23C until I was 18 years old. Also it’s too hot to sleep.’
Another added: ‘How is anybody in this god forsaken country sleeping right now?’
What’s happening in Europe? Fleeing the flames: Hero runs to safety with his clothes on fire after trying to save his village in Spain as wildfires continue to ravage Europe
A heroic man trying to save his village from wildfires ravaging northern Spain was forced to flee the flames after the engulfed his tractor and left him with serious burns.
Terrifying video shows the moment Angel Martin Arjona – who was using a digger to carve out a trench around his village – gets caught by the rapidly advancing fire in Tabara near Zamora, 50 miles west of Valladolid.
For a moment the vehicle completely disappears behind a wall of flame before the man emerges – his clothes burning off him as he runs – and manages to get himself to safety. He has since been taken to hospital with burns.
It was a lucky escape from one among dozens of fires burning across Spain which have already killed two people – a 62-year-old firefighter and 69-year-old shepherd – in the worst heatwave season for at least 15 years.
Across Zamora, some 6,000 people have been forced to evacuate from 32 towns as the flames threaten their homes, while blazes are also burning out of control to the north of Barcelona and in the Galicia region – where a railway track remains closed today after a train almost got consumed by flames on Monday.
Two huge fires are also burning in southern France, in Gironde, where more than 30,000 people have now been forced from their homes. Fires are also burning in Portugal and Greece.
Network Rail’s ‘Do Not Travel’ message has also been extended to the East Midlands route.
They say it is in response to forecast temperatures for the Midland Main Line which are ‘higher than the design limits for track and overhead line equipment’.
There will be no Thameslink or Great Northern services north of London tomorrow. EMR will run an extremely limited service between Derby and London and between Nottingham and London on Tuesday morning.
At lunchtime, services will stop running south of Leicester. A limited EMR service to and from London may resume after 1900 if temperatures cool sufficiently.
There will be no EMR service between Corby and London St Pancras all day.
The advice is due to safety concerns, due to fears that train tracks may buckle in the extreme heat. Areas to the north of London are expected to see some of the highest temperatures in the country today.
Network Rail said on their Twitter: ‘Network Rail and train operators have upgraded travel advice for services heading north out of London into the weather warning ‘red zone’ to DO NOT TRAVEL.
‘With free refunds/ticket swaps available, the advice is to stay home and replan your journey.’
Network Rail and train operators have upgraded travel advice for services heading north out of London into the weather warning ‘red zone’ to DO NOT TRAVEL.
With free refunds/ticket swaps available, the advice is to stay home and replan your journey.
👉 https://t.co/YWsIH179Jq pic.twitter.com/erQqZZIKcE
There will be no Govia Thameslink Rail services North of London today (July 19).
There are no trains between:
•Bedford and London via St Albans
•Peterborough and London Kings Cross / St Pancras
•Kings Lynn / Cambridge and Kings Cross / St Pancras
•Welwyn GC/Stevenage and Moorgate
Thameslink said in a statement on social media: ‘Do not travel. We are unable to provide any alternative services (including bus replacements) and there is no guarantee that you’ll reach your destination.’
⛔️ There will be no GTR services North of London tomorrow 19th July.
No trains between:
•Bedford and London via St Albans
•Peterborough and London Kings Cross / St Pancras
•Kings Lynn / Cambridge and Kings Cross / St Pancras
•Welwyn GC/Stevenage and Moorgate
CLICK TO READ: Today is being dubbed Tropic-hell Tuesday – See what it has in store
- Britain is bracing for the hottest day on record with temperatures predicted to reach highs of 43C (109F)
- Sweltering temperatures are set to remain at 86F (30C) across London and South East throughout night
- People are being warned to stay at home as meteorologists say the extreme heat ‘poses a danger to life’
- Sweltering heat is putting extra pressure on the NHS, with planned operations now having to be ‘scaled back’
Here’s what the Met Office had to say…
🌡️ It has provisionally been the warmest night on record in the UK ⚠️
Temperatures didn't fall below 25°C in places, exceeding the previous highest daily minimum record of 23.9°C, recorded in Brighton on 3rd August 1990#heatwave #heatwave2022 #cantsleep pic.twitter.com/k6refVdQaC
Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s Weather Live Blog – Day 2.
Britain is today bracing for the hottest day on record with temperatures predicted to reach highs of 43C (109F) – forcing hospitals to cancel operations, threatening power cuts and bringing even more travel chaos.
Today will likely see the previous temperature record of 38.7C (101.6F) – set in Cambridge in 2019 – broken, with forecasters saying it is a 95 per cent chance.
The mercury is expected to reach highs of 40C (104F) in Peterborough, Grantham and Doncaster on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, travel chaos is expected to continue on the railway network today with Britons facing more delays and cancellations.
The RAC has also warned motorists who may be driving to work that the number of vehicle breakdowns both Monday and Tuesday could be a fifth higher than usual.
It comes as Britons experienced the ‘warmest night on record’ with London reaching 29C (84F) by midnight, while the mercury in Southampton hit 24C (75F).
Meanwhile, in Dover in Kent, the mercury stayed a few degrees cooler and reached 21C (70F) in the early hours of the morning while Aboyne in Aberdeenshire hit 19C (66F).
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