Heat wave in Britain

Temperatures are expected up to 95F (35C). Spectators at Wimbleton needed medical attention for heat exhaustion.

Get ready for the hottest day for NINE years! Temperatures to soar to 95F today - but Saharan dust cloud is on its way

• Temperatures hit 30.5C at Northolt in north-west London yesterday with dust from Sahara set to blow in today
• Forecasters say mercury will hit 35C today making UK hotter than Rio de Janeiro and hottest day in nine years
• But there have also been warnings that heatwave could cause 'hundreds of deaths' and problems on rail network
• Met Office has issued level 3 heat alert for much of England which warns of a risk to the very young and elderly 

Urgent health alerts were issued last night ahead of what is expected to be the hottest July day in nine years.

Young children, the pregnant and the elderly are at most risk from the tropical heatwave.

Temperatures are expected to hit 35C (95F) and forecasters believe the record for the warmest ever July day is under threat.

Train services have already been axed amid concerns that rails could buckle.

And health watchdogs urged the vulnerable to stay indoors between 11am and 3pm.

In other developments:

• Saharan sand carried by strong winds could cover cars and obscure windows;
• Britain is set to be warmer than Ibiza and Lanzarote;
• Nine in ten hospital wards were said to be at risk of overheating because of poor design;
• Bosses are being urged to let staff travel to work outside of rush hour
• Much of England and Wales will be basking in sizzling temperatures as hot air from the Continent makes Britain hotter than Rio De Janeiro, Ibiza and Lanzarote.

The Met Office said temperatures hit a sweltering 30.5C (86.7C) at Northolt in north-west London yesterday – making it the hottest day of the year so far.

However, that figure is set to be smashed today with forecasters predicting the mercury will reach 35C (95F) widely across the south of England.

Meanwhile MeteoGroup has warned that dust whipped up from the Sahara is being carried by wind towards Britain where it could coat cars and cause issues for asthma sufferers.

The heatwave has prompted officials to issue a level 3 health warning, amid fears the scorching heat could cause 'hundreds of deaths'.

People with respiratory illnesses, the elderly and very young are all being warned to stay out of the midday sun, while hayfever sufferers are also being warned to take extra preventative measures as the pollen count and UV levels are currently extremely high.

Meanwhile, there were delays for motorists on the M25 after a pile-up involving two cars and a lorry caused the closure of all lanes eastbound anti-clockwise between Leatherhead and Reigate.

The crash happened at about 2.15pm yesterday as temperatures reached nearly 30C.

The highest temperature recorded in the last decade was 36.5C (97.7F) at Wisley in Essex during July 2006.

Bookmaker Ladbrokes is even offering 6/1 odds on the highest ever recorded temperature in the UK of 38.5C (106F) being broken this July.

Temperatures hit 38.5C (106F) in Southampton in 1976 but have yet to be beaten.

Spokesman Alex Donohue said: 'The latest weather odds suggest temperatures could soar to historic highs on July 1.

'We're not ruling out Wimbledon sizzling in record-breaking heat for the day either.'

The current hottest day ever recorded at the tennis tournament was June 26, 1976 when the mercury hit 34.6C (94F).

The current heatwave is being caused by a warm front and tropical continental air mass from Europe pushing across the country, bringing high temperatures and humidity.

Paul Knightley, forecast manager at Meteogroup, said: 'It will be very hot: there are not too many years when we get to 35C (95F).

'UV levels will be about as high as they can be - up to eight in southern areas.'

Vulnerable groups including the elderly, young children and people with breathing difficulties have been urged to stay cool as the hot weather pushes across the UK over the next few days.

Dr Angie Bone at Public Health England said there could be more deaths than usual and people with respiratory illnesses have been advised to avoid the sun.

She said it seemed 'likely' that the Met Office would upgrade its current alert to a level 3 health warning - which requires community support for at-risk groups, media alerts about keeping cool and a review of safety at public events.

She added: 'It is possible that we will see an excess mortality but it is too early to tell.

'We know that high temperatures do have an impact on health, particularly on older people and young children and people with chronic diseases.'

The mercury is set to hit 35C (95F) in central London today and south-eastern parts and 34C (93F) expected widely across the rest of England and Wales.

However, severe thunderstorms are predicted to strike western and northern parts of Britain by this afternoon, and temperatures will dip tomorrow - but are likely to rise again before the weekend.

By Sunday, the mercury will have risen back up to at least 29C (84F) - the same as Ibiza, and 2C warmer than Lanzarote.

A Network Rail spokesman said: 'As rails are made out of steel, they expand as they heat up and are subject to strong compression.

'This expansion has to be managed to reduce the risk of track buckling.

'If the track does buckle, the line must be closed and the track repaired before services can resume, causing considerable disruption.

'Usually, these repairs can't be done until the temperature of the rails has dropped.

'If a section of track is judged to be at risk, we introduce local speed restrictions - slower trains exert lower forces on the track and reduce the chance of buckling.

'There may be some disruption but we're trying to minimise this.'

Top temperatures are expected to dip tomorrow, to between 28C (82.4F) and 29C (84F), with most areas experiencing levels a few degrees below those of the previous day.

The Met Office urged sun-seekers to be cautious in the extreme heat.

Spokesman Dan Williams said: 'Many people will want to head out, but bear in mind it's going to be hot and humid and people should make sure they are not adversely affected by the heat.

'People are going to have to take care. They should make sure they drink plenty of water and seek the shade if they are feeling too hot, and make sure those who are vulnerable to heat health conditions to take precautions.

'Generally it will be a nice day for most people. For the main daylight hours most places will be dry, with plenty of sunshine around across England and Wales, although there may be some rain in particular parts of Scotland.

'Wednesday is the hotter day of the two and it will be mainly dry in terms of weather, with some good spells of sunshine. There's a chance of some local showers creeping up here and there but they will be few and far between.'

The RNLI has also issued guidance amid fears people could drown if they swim out of lifeguarded areas or in open water.

The charity has appealed for people to take note of simple safety messages to avoid a repeat of last summer's tragedies when many people lost their lives cooling off in open water.

Spokesman Mike Dunn said: 'Last year saw a tragic amount of preventable deaths as people flocked to open water sites not suitable for swimming.

'These sites included rivers, quarries, lakes and reservoirs – all of which have many dangers including very cold water, currents, obstacles and uneven depths. They look so inviting but can be deadly.

'Being aware of the basic principles of open water safety, combined with knowledge and understanding of the hazards, can increase enjoyment and significantly reduce the number deaths each year.

'Any drowning is a tragedy but the number of people who lost their lives last summer was not only extremely sad but extremely worrying.'

The heatwave is also expected to cause problems for commuters, with rail firms cancelling trains and putting speed restrictions in place on lines up and down the country, amid fears the tracks could buckle.

First Great Western confirmed yesterday that some fast services would be cancelled and warned of disruption in the Thames Valley area from midday to 8pm.

A spokesman said: 'Network Rail has advised that, due to the anticipated exceptionally hot weather, there will be speed restrictions to protect track points in the Thames Valley region.'

Commuters are advised to check their journeys before travelling and have been warned that there may be further disruption across the network caused by the hot weather.

At this stage, only First Great Western has announced an amended train timetable but other rail firms are expected to follow in due course.

And only parts of the south east will be vulnerable to 'the chance of catching some home-grown showers,' Mr Williams said.

Through Saturday and Sunday top temperatures are expected to remain steady at around 29C (84F).

Mr Williams said: 'At the moment it looks like the southern half of the UK will mainly be dry on Saturday, but with some showers in the east coast.

The Met Office has a graded health alert system warning of the effects of extreme heat.

Grade 1 is the minimum state of vigilance during the summer and simply advises health officials to be prepared for warmer weather.

Grade 2 advises members of the public to be alert and ready for extreme heat and warns of danger to the elderly and young children, who should take extra care. A grade 2 alert is triggered as soon as the risk is 60 per cent or above for threshold temperatures being reached in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night.

Grade 3 warns people to take action and stay out of the sun. It also advises to keep homes warm by shading windows and drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.

Grade 4 is a state of national emergency and is reached when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.

'Through the weekend and the start of next week we will hang on to these warmer than average temperatures and we will see times when these temperatures go up a bit and come down a bit, as we have seen this week.

'The temperatures aren't going to stay at a set level, but we will see some decent temperatures again.'

The predicted heatwave is guaranteed to make Wimbledon one of the hottest ever, with the current hottest day at the tennis tournament recovered as June 26, 1976 when the mercury hit 34.6C (94F).

The tennis action on Centre Court kicked off on Monday with defending champion Novak Djokovic's first round match.

Bookmaker William Hill is offering odds of 11/4 for a Murray victory at Wimbledon, while number one seed Djokovic is the 11/8 favourite.

However, neither of the tennis aces will be able to call on Wimbledon's 'heat rule', which allows for a ten-minute break between the second and third sets – because it only applies to women.

And there will be no relief for the spectators sat in Centre Court, as Wimbledon bosses say its retractable roof will not be used to provide shade from the searing heat.

A spokesman for the All England Club added: 'We'll be advising visitors to drink plenty of water, wear a hat and apply sunscreen.'

Spectators are expected to consume more than 142,000 punnets of strawberries during the tournament, while the players are predicted to eat 12,000 bananas between them.

Officials predict that 10,000 official Wimbledon umbrellas will be bought from the ground, while fans will also snap up a staggering 25,000 championship towels and 7,000 cans of souvenir tennis balls.

Wimbledon fever will also see sales of strawberries rise 11 per cent year on year this week, while sales of cream are already up nine per cent compared to last week.

Sales of Pimm's are also up 25 per cent at Waitrose, compared to the previous week while the Heston from Waitrose Fruit Cup – an Earl Grey and Lemon Gin based spirit with aromas of fruity blackcurrant, fragrant elderflower and citrusy bergamot –has seen a sales increase of a massive 700 per cent.

Meanwhile, English wines are up 107 per cent at the upmarket supermarket, and sales of English rosé wines have increased 130 per cent.

Amy Lance, of Waitrose, said: 'Strawberries and cream go hand in hand with Wimbledon and it's our busiest time of year for these quintessentially British food heroes.

'Thanks to the hot weather we're set to see at SW19 this week, we're expecting this trend to continue, with customers making the most of the sunshine, stocking up on British berries, cream, Pimm's and English wine.'

Meanwhile, specialist sleep retailer, the Wool Room said that sales of superlight wool duvets and mattress protectors have soared 88 per cent in the last week.

Wool can help to regulate skin temperature and moisture levels throughout the night.

Heatwaves have been deadly in recent years, with an ONS report stating that the heatwave across Europe in August 2003 caused 2,091 excess deaths in England - particularly affecting over-75s in London.

Vicky Barber, of the British Lung Foundation helpline, said: 'During hot weather the air we breathe has lower moisture levels than usual, which can have a drying effect on our airways.'

She advised people with respiratory illnesses to avoid going out at midday and to drink plenty of water

Britain set for two-week heatwave

Daily Mail,

30 June, 2015

Britain is heading for a sizzling two-week heatwave with temperatures set to soar into the nineties, forecasters predicted today.

The sun was expected to blaze across the country over the next fortnight, with London, the south east and the Midlands catching the most rays.

British Weather Services expert Jim Dale said: "We're going to hit the magical figure of 90F (32C)."

He added that the good weather would coincide perfectly with the early part of the school holidays.

"It's going to be the hottest time of the year. In the last week of July and the first week in August, there will be a sustained heatwave.

"The UK will be sucking up tropical air from the south," the senior forecaster explained.

"The temperatures in the surrounding seas are a Celsius degree warmer than they were this time last year. This cocktail makes for potentially high temperatures."

The two-weeks of warm weather will be "dotted with thunderstorms", Mr Dale added.

He said there was an outside chance the previous record for the highest temperature in the UK could be broken.

This was recorded at Cheltenham in Gloucestershire on August 3 1990, when temperatures reached 37.1C (98.8F).

The heatwave follows some of the worst weather the UK has seen for centuries after severe floods earlier this year.

Amid heat wave, more than 100 spectators needed medical attention at Wimbledon‬

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http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/tennis-busted-racquet/more-than-100-spectators-needed-medical-attention-on-wimbledon-day-1-191328338.html

Temperatures are soaring at Wimbledon, reaching 86 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday. That's 86 throughout the grounds – it's even hotter at Centre Court, where the thermometer measured more than 100 degrees (37F) during Andy Murray's afternoon win.

Players, at least those in the women's and girls' draws, will have a chance to escape the heat. Tournament rules allow for females to take a 10-minute heat break between the second and third sets if the heat is too intense.

The men, however, are not permitted to take any heat-related breaks.

According to The Guardian, once the temperature passes about 86.5 degrees Fahrenheit, officials measure the "heat stress index" prior to each match. The index includes humidity, surface temperature, and air temperature. If the threshold is crossed prior to the match, either player (in a women's and girl's match) can request the break. The rule has never been utilized.....

More than 100 spectators were treated for heat-related illness on Monday. Two people were taken to the hospital after meeting with tournament first aid workers, according to the British paper.

The heat is expected to reach 95 degrees later this week, which would break a local record (91.4) for this month.

UK heatwave to trigger severe thunderstorms late Wednesday