• 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.3 Fahrenheit) had been recorded at London Heathrow.
• It marked the first time ever for a temperature to exceed 40 C 104 F in Britain.
• The previous record was 38.7 C (101.7 F).

Tuesday saw the highest temperatures ever recorded in Great Britain as a wave of North African heat; left Britons scorching in houses without air conditioning and scrambling for methods to cool off.

The Met Office in Britain reported a temperature of 40.2 degrees Celsius (104.3 degrees Fahrenheit); at London Heathrow at around 1:30 pm on Tuesday. It was the first occasion ever when a temperature in Britain; exceeded 40 C (104 F). 38.7 C set the previous benchmark (101.7 F).

The head scientist at the Met Office, Stephen Belcher, stated, “Well, I wasn’t expecting to see this in my career. “It serves as a stark reminder to me that the environment; has changed and will continue to change,” the author said.

Without global warming, he claimed, it would be “almost unthinkable” for Britain to experience; such high temperatures. If global warming is not significantly reduced; he predicted that Britain might see repeated bouts of comparable intense heat.

[embedpost slug=”european-disastrous-heatwave-heads-toward-north”]

But for English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish people who weren’t used to such high temperatures; Tuesday was a shock. Ireland and Scotland were also affected by the heat wave; which covered all of England. In the UK, air conditioning is only installed in roughly 3% of residences.

There have been reports of roads collapsing and airport runway asphalt melting in southern England; which has disrupted transport. People were urged to sit in the water with their feet in it; use misting fans, drink ice-cold water, and cool down with ice cloths while swimming pools and beaches; were crowded and electric fans hummed. The House of Commons’ dress code was somewhat relaxed when it was announced; that members might forgo their coats and ties.

[embedpost slug=”wildfires-spread-across-heatwave-hit-europe”]