Temperatures will drop with thunderstorm warnings issued following a heatwave that saw the record June temperature broken three days in a row. Friday was confirmed by the Met Office as the UK’s hottest June day on record, with a provisional temperature of 37.3C recorded in Santon Downham, Suffolk, surpassing the high of 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday.
These smashed the long-standing record for June heat, which dates back to the summer of 1976, by more than 1C, which is significant given such records were usually broken only by a fraction of a degree in the past. Scientists warned that the heatwave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, with human-driven climate change fuelling more intense and frequent extreme heat events.
Thunderstorm Risk and Cooling Trend
The Met Office said the third consecutive day of June’s record-breaking temperatures came as parts of the UK were transitioning to more of a westerly influence, bringing the risk of thunderstorms. A drop in temperatures will develop in the west at first, with these fresher conditions spreading slowly further east over the course of the weekend. An amber warning of extreme heat remains in place from midnight until 9pm on Saturday across the south east of England and East Anglia.
Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said: “The UK is seeing a gradual shift in conditions over the weekend, with those to the southeast of England retaining the warmth the longest, where an amber extreme heat warning remains in force through much of Saturday, though peaks are more likely to be in the low 30s Celsius.”
Regional Weather Breakdown
Western parts of Scotland and much of Northern Ireland will see rain for a time on Saturday, with showers likely spreading further south in places on Sunday, though these will be fairly light in nature. Those to the south east could remain dry through the weekend, although there is a risk of thunderstorms here before temperatures return more towards average later on Sunday and into Monday.
The Met Office said next week will bring a mixed picture for the UK’s weather, with a combination of cloudy and sunny spells, as well as influxes of rain from the west at times.
Impact on Health and Services
Health chiefs warned of the impact the conditions were having on services this week as they face significantly more life-threatening emergency calls. Hundreds of schools and nurseries have been forced to close and a hosepipe ban was brought in for Kent amid surging demand. Several hospitals have declared critical incidents, with University Hospital Southampton being forced to cancel a number of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.
The heatwave was driven by a “heat-dome” – an area of high pressure that stalls over a region and traps heat – settling over western Europe and bringing extreme conditions across the continent. This has been compounded by human-driven climate change, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels, which is making such extreme heatwaves more frequent and intense.
Travel Disruptions
Train passengers were urged to avoid non-essential travel across much of England on Friday, with Network Rail saying services operating in the Met Office’s red and amber zones should only be used “if absolutely necessary.” Courts were also affected, with the cells at Bristol Crown Court closed because of the heat and defendants moved to Bristol Magistrates’ Court where it was thought to be cooler.
