UK Hit By Extreme Spanish Heatwave
The scorching hot weather this week brought on in part by a heatwave in Spain and Portugal has seen roads melt and rail firms impose speed restrictions due to affected tracks, whilst a school has cancelled its sports day amid expected higher temperatures today and tomorrow.
Sun-lovers in London and the South East are set to experience temperatures of up to 85F (29.4C) today before the hottest day of the year hits tomorrow.
This week has already seen glorious sunshine and clear skies across much of England and Wales, with tourists flocking to hotspots including Westminster Bridge and Richmond Park in the capital.
Today’s temperatures are set to outstrip yesterday’s sunny weather, where the mercury hit 82F (28C), with the warm weather driven by hot air from Spain and Portugal.
Both countries have seen temperatures topping 104F (40C) amid an ongoing heatwave.
The hot weather is expected to climb to a 93F (34C) ‘crescendo’ in the South East tomorrow with the rest of England and Wales set to see between 27C (81F) and 30C (86F).
Britain’s highest recorded June temperature was 35.6C (96F) at Southampton Mayflower Park on June 28, 1976.
The extreme heat prompted a Leicestershire school to cancel its sports day that was planned for this afternoon due to fears children are ‘not used to’ the searing temperatures.
And commuters are set to face rail woes ahead of next week’s crippling strikes as the hot weather forces operators to impose speed restrictions on some lines due to the heat affecting tracks. Network Rail warned that hot weather can ‘severely impact train services’.
Meanwhile, in Suffolk, the A140 was closed for two hours yesterday after the sun began melting the road surface, forcing fuming drivers to sit in hot cars for two hours.
However, heavy showers and thunderstorms are set to break the spell of hot weather from Saturday and into Sunday across England and Wales, with temperatures in London set to plummet to 20F.
The rain will begin on Friday evening in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where temperatures will only hit 70F despite the heatwave elsewhere.
Next week, the dimmer outlook will continue, with sunshine marred by cloud cover and temperatures remaining far lower than tomorrow’s expected peak.
Source: Daily Mail
