UK weather forecast today: Health warning as heatwave brings hottest day of year

Parts of the UK are expected to witness sweltering temperatures of 34C (93.2F) as the hot spell of weather will reach its peak on Friday.

According to Met Office London and some spots in East Anglia are most likely to touch the 34C peak, making Friday one of the hottest days of the year so far.

Across most of England and Wales, the temperatures are expected to soar to 27C-30C.

On Thursday, the temperature in Northolt in west London surpassed the 2022 high of 28.2C after the heat touched 29.5C (85.1F) Thursday.

While England and Wales will bake in the heat on Friday, cooler temperatures will be recorded in Northern Ireland and Scotland which will see showers.

Meanwhile, firefighters are also warning that there is an increased risk of fires due to the heatwave.

Human-induced climate change made the blistering heatwave gripping parts of India and Pakistan 30 times more likely, according to scientists (Saphora Smith writes).

India and Pakistan have been suffering from extreme heat on and off since March, which was the hottest in India since records began 122 years ago. Pakistan has also reported record temperatures.

Climate experts have repeatedly warned heatwaves are increasing in intensity and frequency across the world due to global heating, mainly caused by burning fossil fuels.

The increase in the likelihood of heatwaves is of concern because they are the deadliest extreme weather events and also damage crops and livelihoods.

While Network Rail has warned of very hot weather severely impacting the train services, Chiltern railway said speed restrictions will be imposed on trains until Saturday.

“Due to expected hot weather, speed restrictions will be imposed on the rail from today until Saturday 18th June inclusive,” Chiltern Railways spokesman said.

It added: “Services will be subject to delay and cancellations. Please check your journey before you travel.”

An urgent warning has also been issued to anyone stepping into their cars as the UK is expected to be scorched by soaring temperatures. RAC, UK’s leader breakdown service provider, warned of a “short sharp spike in breakdowns”.

It urged all drivers to check oil and coolant levels to avoid breakdowns. “Motorists who fail to do so could risk breaking down mid-journey and also face a fine if their vehicle is deemed in a dangerous condition,” it said.

Thursday has been confirmed the hottest day of the year so far, topping yesterday’s height by 1.1C.

The temperature hit 29.3C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London, the Met Office confirmed, as Britain’s hot spell continued.

Friday is expected to be hotter still with 34C forecast in the southeast and temperatures pushing up to 30C across much of England and Wales. A third day of temperatures above regional thresholds would mean the UK was experiencing a heatwave.

Health officials and experts have warned that the heat poses a danger to at-risk groups including the elderly and those with chronic health conditions including diabetes and Parkinson’s.

In the current warm spell, many people will be looking to cool off in lakes and waterways.

Anticipating this, Water Safety Ireland, the Coast Guard and the RNLI issued a joint appeal for outdoor swimmers to be cautious.

Some 79 people drowned in 2021, up three from 2020 but below the annual average of 111 each year over the last decade. In total, 1,108 people drowned in the last 10 years.

Roger Sweeney, acting CEO at Water Safety Ireland, described the deaths as a “tragic unnecessary loss of life and a significant public health issue”.

“Drownings can happen quickly and silently and warmer weather sometimes lulls people into a false sense of security, however waterways are still quite cool which affects the muscles needed to swim safely back to shore,” he said.

“Swim at lifeguarded waterways or in designated bathing areas that are known to be safe and have ring buoys present. Stay within your depth, supervise children closely and never use inflatable toys on open water as you can be swept from shore in an instant.”

In Britain, Drowning Awareness Week will begin this Saturday. More than 400 accidentally drown in the UK and Ireland each year.

Three wildfires have laid waste to 3,950 acres of pines and bushes in eastern Spain since yesterday as a heatwave pushes temperatures close to record highs, regional firefighters said on Thursday.

Hundreds of firemen were on the ground battling the blazes with 120 trucks and a 19 aircraft to fight the flames near the towns of Baldomar, Corbera d’Ebre and Castellar Ribera, Catalonia’s regional fire department said.

Most efforts were focused on Baldomar, where flames threatened 20,000 hectares of woods and farmland. Some isolated houses were evacuated as was a child centre with 54 minors.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries.

Large swathes of the country face high or extreme risk of wildfire, the state meteorological agency Aemet said.

Take a look at the BBC’s weather map to see how what the temperature is expected to look like across Britain tomorrow.

Britain’s hottest temperature of the year so far was recorded today in Greater London.

Both Heathrow and Kew Gardens in west London recorded 29.3C this afternoon.

Watch below how residents of the capital enjoyed the warm weather:

Power demand in Texas will likely set new all-time highs today and on Monday after breaking the prior record on 12 June as economic growth boosts overall use and homes and businesses keep air conditioners cranked up to escape a lingering heatwave.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (Ercot), which operates the grid for more than 26 million customers representing about 90 per cent of the state’s power load, has said it has enough resources available to meet demand.

Temperatures in Houston, the biggest city in Texas, will mostly rise from 37.2 C today to 38.3C on Sunday, according to AccuWeather. That compares with a normal high of 33C for this time of year.

The central United States has been suffering a stifling heatwave this week. Millions of Americans who live in major cities such as Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta have been warned the heat could prove deadly.

Here’s the Met Office’s Alex Burkill putting the recent warm spell into context in a call with The Independent: “Temperatures are going to be much higher tomorrow at 34 possibly 35C, that’s exceptionally hot for June, particularly this early in June.

“If you go back to the 60s we only have three instances where temperatures have exceeded 34C in June: 76, 2019 and 2017.

“So although we’ve had a few instances recently if you look back further it’s a much more rare event.

“It is going to be very hot on Friday and exceptionally hot for this time of year.”