Britain to rank among Europe’s hottest places as 40C heatwave closes in

Forecast peak put parts of England and Wales among Europe’s hottest places this week, below the worst-hit areas of France and Spain and above or level with Rome, Athens, Marseille and Nicosia

Britain is forecast to rank among some of Europe’s hottest places this week, with parts of England and Wales on course to approach temperatures currently being recorded in France and Spain.

A rare red warning for extreme heat has been issued, with Met Office forecasters warning that temperatures could reach between 38C and 40C on Wednesday and Thursday.

Britons have also been told of possible danger to life, with the UK Health Security Agency also issuing red heat health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, and South West.

Mark Sidaway, the Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, said: “Red warnings are reserved for the most severe events and we’re expecting severe and significant impacts from this heatwave, with health impacts likely for many, even beyond those who are normally more vulnerable to the heat. 

“The last time the UK recorded temperatures this high was in July 2022, but on this occasion the heat is expected to be accompanied by high humidity.  

“As well as very high daytime temperatures, there will be consecutive nights where temperatures do not drop below 20°C, which is called a Tropical Night. This will make it very hard for people to recover from the daytime heat, exacerbating the heat stress impacts.” 

The forecast would still leave parts of the UK below the most extreme temperatures expected in south-west France and inland Spain.

But it would put them ahead of many European cities more usually associated with intense summer heat.

Bordeaux was today forecast to reach 46C, while Mont-de-Marsan in south-west France was forecast to reach 43C and Toulouse 42C.

In Spain, Zaragoza was forecast to reach 44C, while Córdoba was forecast to reach 42C and Madrid 40C. The Campiña cordobesa area was under a red warning for a maximum temperature of 44C.

The UK forecast of 38C to 40C would put parts of England and Wales in roughly the same bracket as Madrid, Badajoz and the Seville region, where warnings have been issued for temperatures around 39C to 40C.

It would also place parts of Britain above several European capitals and holiday destinations. Rome was forecast at 36C, Athens at 33C, Marseille at 36C and Nicosia at 37C.

The current UK June record is 35.6C, set in Southampton in June 1976 and matched at Camden Square in London in June 1957.

If temperatures rise above 40.3C, the country would pass the all-time UK temperature record set at Coningsby in Lincolnshire in July 2022.

READ MORE: Scientists are racing to protect sea coral with robots and AI as heatwaves devastate reefs. An international symposium in Taiwan has unveiled how robots, AI and “super corals” are being deployed to fight unprecedented bleaching, with scientists warning that time is running out to save the world’s reefs.

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