The weather history of the United Kingdom (UK) was rewritten on Wednesday after the country recorded the highest June heat in over 50 years.
This is an unprecedented European “heat-dome” that sent temperatures skyrocketing, breaking the UK’s all-time June heat record three separate times in a matter of hours.
According to provisional data from the Met Office, the mercury ultimately peaked at a blistering 36.1°C (97°F) in Gosport, Hampshire, completely obliterating a 50-year-old climate benchmark.
For decades, the standard for June heat in the UK was 35.6°C, a milestone first established at Camden Square, London in 1957 and later matched during the summer of 1976.
Wednesday’s high temperature came between 15:00 and 16:00, breaking the previous June record of 35.6 °C, which was recorded in Southampton in 1976 and Camden in 1957.
This new record is described as “provisional” by the Met Office, which now has to conduct checks to ensure the measurement is reliable.
The next highest temperatures of the day were all recorded in southern England, including Wisley, Surrey, on 36C, Wiggonholt, West Sussex, on 35.9C, and Charlwood, Surrey, on 35.7C. And Wales had its hottest day of the year so far, with a high of 33.3 °C at Cardiff Bute Park.
The heatwave is forecast to continue into Friday, with a further high of around 38 °C possible, the Met Office said.
A searing European heatwave continues to cause deaths and disruption, with France recording its hottest day since records began in 1947, and the temperature in Paris and other areas is above 40 °C.
France, the current epicenter of extreme heat, just posted its hottest day on record. The nationally-averaged temperature reached 85.6 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking a record last reached in 2019, according to provisional figures from Météo-France. One town saw temperatures of over 111 degrees Fahrenheit.
The heat has quickly turned deadly. France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced Tuesday that 40 people had drowned since June 18, linking the drownings to soaring temperatures and calling them a “grim scourge.”
Hundreds of schools shut across England and Wales and transport has also been disrupted, with train passengers advised to avoid all non-essential travel.
Also, a red extreme heat warning issued by the Met Office across parts of south and central England and south Wales remains in place until 23:59 BST on Thursday.
Among the areas covered by the UK red warning are the East Midlands, the East of England, London, south-east England, South-West England, Wales, and the West Midlands.
These regions can expect an “exceptional spell of hot and humid weather” with impacts to the general population “highly likely”, according to the Met Office.
It is only the second time a red warning has been issued since extreme heat warnings began in 2021.
