There's an obsession with the weather in Britain, so much so that it's common for entire conversations to revolve around the topic. And in a country more commonly associated with rain (which has a vocabulary unto itself) fog, and gloomy skies, unadulterated sunshine can feel like a cause for celebration. Now, things are different.
The highest temperature officially recorded in the UK is 38.7C, at Cambridge Botanic Garden in July 2019. But the Royal Meteorological Society recently suggested that an alarming new benchmark may be reached. "Temperatures in the UK have never reached 40ºC since records began," a blog post stated last week. "But at the end of June 2022, for the first time ever, weather forecast models started to show it as a possibility for mid July."
The UK Met Office was more circumspect. While some forecasting models were showing 40C (104F) was possible, the national weather agency said, it was more likely that temperatures would remain lower - but only just.
The Met Office issued an Amber-level extreme heat warning for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The alert is designed to underline the threat to lives, property and infrastructure from exceptional heat, which will bear down largely in southern and central areas of England. Temperatures will likely be in excess of 35C in some parts.
Climate scientists have warned that extreme heat is becoming more frequent and severe as a result of the ever-rising global temperature, largely caused by emissions from burning fossil fuels. Earlier this year, the Met Office raised the threshold for heatwaves in parts of the UK to reflect the country's warming climate.
So far this week, the heat has strained services in a country historically not built for it, and prompted the UK government to organize a so-called "COBRA" crisis meeting at Downing Street.
Heatwaves are the deadliest extreme weather event in the UK, causing an average of 2,000 heat-related deaths each year. The elderly, young children, and those living with health conditions are particularly vulnerable.
The ambulance service in England has been placed on black alert, the highest level, and public health officials warned that hospital buildings were "ill-equipped" to store medicines properly at the abnormally high temperatures. The government said on Thursday that it was preparing for a surge in demand on the National Health Service.
Network Rail, the largest operator in Britain, is introducing speed restrictions to reduce the chance of tracks buckling, and causing disruptions. Avanti West Coast, which runs services between London and Scotland, has already warned of disruptions and potential last-minute cancellations due to the heat. Earlier this week, timber beams on a railway line in London caught fire amid sweltering temperatures.
Extreme heat has also gripped large parts of Europe - a second heatwave in a matter of months. Soaring temperatures, which have reached 45C (113F) in places, and parched landscapes have led to wildfires erupting in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Croatia and Turkey.
About 1,000 firefighters, supported by six water-bomber aircraft, were trying to bring under control two wildfires in southwestern France that have already burnt almost 4,000 hectares. More than 3,000 firefighters battled alongside ordinary Portuguese citizens desperate to save their homes from several wildfires on Thursday in the centre of the country.
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Keep a civil tongue.