The office issued its first “red warning” of extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in the south of England are expected to reach 37 ºC.
There is a possibility that temperatures will reach the highest ever recorded in the UK, 38.7 ºC, which was set in 2019.
The UK Meteorological Agency’s Met Office warned on Friday that record temperatures expected next week pose a risk of “serious illness or danger to life” (Leon Neal / Getty Images)
The weather alert, which covers much of England from London to Manchester, warns of life-threatening, disrupted air and rail travel and potential “localized energy losses and other essential services, such as ‘water or mobile services’.
It also comes when Europe struggles with extreme heat.
In the Bordeaux region of southwestern France, 10,000 people have been forced to evacuate as thousands of firefighters fight to contain two wildfires.
In the Bordeaux region of southwestern France, 10,000 people have been forced to evacuate as thousands of firefighters fight to contain two wildfires. (AP)
In the Spanish city of Seville, one of the hottest spots in Europe this week, some unions called for workers to be sent home.
Temperatures in many parts of Spain have exceeded 40ºC for several days and are expected to continue until next week.
Seville became the first city in the world to participate in a pilot project that names and categorizes heat waves in order to raise awareness about the health hazards caused by extreme heat and the precautions to be taken by citizens.
A man carries a fan as he walks outside Parliament in London on July 12, 2022, but in the Spanish city of Seville, one of the hottest places in Europe this week, some unions called for workers to be sent to house (AP Photo / Alberto Pezzali)
“Extreme climate-driven heat is killing more people than any other weather hazard,” said Kathy Baughman McLeod, director of the Atlantic Council’s Arsht-Rockefeller Resilience Center.
“The heat is invisible, it’s silent and it kills slowly, and people aren’t aware of it.”