Roads and Roofs Melt Amid Record Heat in United Kingdom, Ireland
29
June, 2018
As
the United Kingdom and Ireland baked in heat that broke all-time
records in some areas, parts of the infrastructure did not hold
up well.
In
recent days, numerous images like the one below have surfaced,
illustrating how extreme heat has stressed the roads. That picture,
captured Wednesday near the Irish town of Ardara in County Donegal,
showed liquefied
tar on Glengesh Road,
according to Donegal News editor Harry Walsh. Melted tar was also
seen on several roads in the U.K., local reports said.
Melted
tar is seen along a roadway near Ardara, Ireland, on Wednesday, June
27, 2018. (Twitter/Harry Walsh)
"Typically
there's enough moisture during a British summer to keep the heat
tamped down, but this month has been one of the driest Junes on
record," said Weather Underground weather and climate writer Bob
Henson.
"Most U.K. homes don't have air conditioning, so that only adds
to the misery of a multi-day heat wave."
The
heat wave extended into Scotland, and in Glasgow, the weatherproof
membrane on the roof at the Glasgow Science Centre melted and
oozed down the building Thursday,
according to BBC.com. It was the city's hottest day on record as
temperatures reached 89.4 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the previous
record of 88 dating
back to 1950,
the Guardian reported.
"The
structural integrity of the roof is completely sound, but we are left
with a bit of an unsightly black goo on the roof," Glasgow
Science Centre spokeswoman Sharon Lyons told BBC.com. "When we
return to typical Glasgow colder climes, we shall set about cleaning
it."
The
sweltering Thursday in Glasgow flirted with Scotland's all-time
record high of 89.9 degrees, set in 1893 in Perth and Kinross,
according to the Guardian.
Elsewhere
in Scotland, train speeds were reduced amid fears that the heat might
cause rails to buckle, BBC.com also reported. In recent years, some
rails have been painted white to minimize sunlight's impact on
the rails, the report added.
An
all-time record high was also set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on
Thursday as the mercury soared to 85.1 degrees.
Police
warned residents to avoid leaving animals and children unattended in
parked vehicles for any period of time and urged people to keep
a close eye on their neighbors – especially the elderly – as heat
danger remained high.
"It's
important to remember though that, for some, temperatures like
these over more than a day or two can be really uncomfortable
and pose a risk to health," Dr. Nigel Calvert from Dumfries
and Galloway NHS in the U.K. told BBC.com.
"People who may be at
risk include the over 65s, young children and those with heart and
lung conditions."
Heatwaves reported from Canada, U.S. UK, Europe and Russia as the Northern Hemisphere hits high summer
1
July, 2018
As
summer hits the Northern Hemisphere heatwaves are being reported from
Canada, the U.S. the UK, Europe and Asia as the northern half of the
planet bakes.
Of course, it is summer but for the whole Northern Hemisphere to witnessing heat-wave weather this is unusual.
In parts of south-west France, temperatures are expected to hit 40 deg C (104 deg F) today.
In Canada residents in the Toronto area had to endure a humidex temp which pushed into the mid-40s deg C (113 deg F) this weekend as the heat is expected to last the rest of this week.
Meanwhile, a dangerous, oppressive heat wave has scorched central, and the eastern US this weekend.
Temperatures have reached at least 30 Celsius in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during the last week with the hot weather expected to hold well into next week.
Here in western and northern Europe, we are also basking in glorious sunshine with very hot temperatures and no let up in the coming week.
High temperatures along with high humidity have been hindering the players during the World Cup in Russia.
BREAKING: Highway 3 at TWO locations is buckling due to extreme heat.
Hwy 3 WB remains closed at Ellis Side Rd. to Manning and closed from Malden Rd. to Talbot Rd.
Opening time unknown.
Bridge was stuck. Sailboat couldn’t get through. So they brought out the fire truck and boat to cool it off. Pretty cool sight.
Does this make people change much?
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