LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) – Britain was approaching its hottest day on Monday with temperatures expected to reach 40 ° C for the first time, forcing train companies to cancel services and some schools to close while ministers urged the public to stay home.
Much of Europe is cooking in a heat wave that has raised temperatures to mid-40 degrees Celsius (more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit) in some regions, with wildfires occurring in dry rural areas of Portugal, Spain and France. Read more
The British government activated a “national emergency” alert as temperatures on Monday and Tuesday were expected to exceed 38.7 ºC (102 ºF) recorded at the University of Cambridge Botanical Garden in 2019.
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At noon, readings of almost 35ºC were being recorded in the south of England.
“We are approaching 48 difficult hours,” Kit Malthouse, the government’s co-ordinating minister, told BBC radio. He will later chair a meeting of the government’s emergency response committee.
The national rail network urged passengers not to travel unless necessary and said some services, including a key route between the north-east of England and London, would not operate during parts of Tuesday.
The London Underground network imposed temporary speed restrictions, which would mean a reduced service would operate with journeys taking longer than normal. He asked travelers to stay home.
Jake Kelly of Network Rail said he expected normal operations to resume on Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to drop, but that will depend on “the weather damage to the infrastructure over the next few days”.
HIGH ALERT
A member of the Queen’s Guard receives water to drink during the heat, outside Buckingham Palace in London, UK, on July 18, 2022. REUTERS / John Sibley
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The government urged schools to remain open, but many had to close earlier than usual, demands for normal uniforms were abandoned and end-of-year sports days were canceled. Some schools were closed, resorting to block-style online classes.
The public was warned not to swim in open water to cool off, and police in the north-east of England said on Monday that they had recovered a body believed to be that of a 13-year-old boy who went put in trouble in a river.
At least one major zoo in Chester said it would close for two days, while the London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo said many animals could retreat to “cool areas” and some exhibits could be closed.
Some factories also advanced their opening hours to prevent workers from hotter jobs, such as welding, from getting sick.
The Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) raised the heat health warning to level 4 for England on Monday and Tuesday for the first time.
The UK Meteorological Office defines a level 4 alert as a national emergency, which is used when a “heat wave” is so severe and / or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and care system. At this level, illness and death can occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups. “
The Met Office said “substantial” changes would be required in work practices and daily routines, and there was a high risk of failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment, which could lead to localized loss of energy, water. or mobile phone services.
Malthouse said the government was prepared for the extreme weather and would try to learn lessons.
“We definitely need to adapt our way of building buildings, the way we operate and see some of our infrastructure in light of what appears to be a growing frequency of such events,” he said.
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Report by Kate Holton and Michael Holden; Edited by William Schomberg and Alex Richardson
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