Karim El-Bar
July 19, 2022•Update: July 20, 2022
LONDON
Temperatures in Britain are expected to surpass 40 C (104 F) for the first time ever on Tuesday, after going through the warmest night on record Monday night.
The Met Office provisionally reported Monday night as the warmest ever as temperatures did not fall below 25 C in some places.
The previous highest daily minimum was 23.9 C on Aug 3, 1990. In parts of Yorkshire and London, temperatures of 26 C were recorded.
The Met Office issued its first-ever red warning for large swathes of England due to the scorching heatwave.
The heatwave is having an impact on transport and infrastructure, with trains being canceled and routes being closed.
On Monday, Luton Airport suspended flights due to high temperatures causing a defect in the runway.
Temperatures are expected to be even higher today and predicted to surpass 40 C.
Rachel Ayers, a Met Office forecaster, was quoted by local media as saying that Tuesday will be "a pretty unprecedented day."
She said: "The temperature will be very hot throughout the day, before rising as high as 40 C, maybe even 41 C in isolated spots across England during the afternoon. This will make it the hottest day on record and the first time we have seen temperatures as high as 40 C.”
She added: "There are likely to be delays on roads, with road closures, as well as possible delays and cancellations to trains and maybe issues with air travel. This could pose a significant health risk to those stuck on services or roads during the heat."
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told the BBC: “We’re probably going to see the hottest day ever in the UK recorded today, and infrastructure, much of it built in Victorian times, just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature – and it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could, because the temperatures are so extreme.”
