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Wales ‘records hottest day on record’ as temperatures hit 37.1C in Hawarden

18 Jul 2022 4 minute read
Hawarden picture by Gammock (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Wales has provisionally recorded its hottest day on record, according to the Met Office.

The temperature reached 37.1C in Hawarden, Flintshire, on Monday afternoon.

Before this week, the previous highest temperature had been recorded as 35.2C in the same village on August 2 1990.

Earlier today, Gogerddan, near Aberystwyth on the coast of mid-west Wales, also broke the record after it hit 35.3C.

Both temperatures are yet to be fully verified.

The extreme heatwave affecting all parts of the UK has prompted a rare amber weather warning to be issued by the Met Office across Wales.

A red weather warning for heat was issued just over the border in Cheshire, England.

The public have been urged not to travel unless necessary with conditions on public transport expected to be “uncomfortable”.

The speed limit on rail lines has been limited to 90mph, reduced from 125mph, meaning journeys will take longer.

Dangers

People have also been warned to keep pets and livestock cool.

Farmers at the Royal Welsh Show near Builth Wells in Powys, the UK’s biggest agricultural event, are said to be taking measures to care for the around 8,000 animals attending.

Some are even smothering pigs in sun tan lotion, according to a BBC report.

Doctors have warned of a danger to life or potential serious illness from the blistering temperatures.

Recommended precautions include avoiding physical exercise, keeping to the shade and maintaining ventilation, drinking plenty of water and using in-date sun cream.

People have been warned against using rivers and lakes to cool off due to the dangers of swimming in open water.

Climate change

The Met Office was forecasting temperatures could break the existing UK record, of 38.7C, recorded in Cambridge in 2019, on Monday.

Or it will almost certainly fall on Tuesday, when temperatures could reach a “crazy” 41C in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.

Met Office meteorologist Luke Miall said: “For a good part of eastern Wales, and England and southern Scotland, we’re looking at the 30s if not the high 30s.”

He said: “I’ve been a qualified meteorologist for 10 years, and telling people about 41C in the UK doesn’t seem real.

“It’s crazy how we are talking about these sorts of values, I’ve never seen the models coming up with these values.

“It’s been quite an eye-opener to climate change with all these temperatures in the UK.”

On Tuesday, Scotland is expected to see its hottest day on record.

The Met Office is also warning that temperatures overnight into Tuesday are holding up in the low to mid 20s in some places, and it looks likely to be the warmest night on record in the UK.

Climate change, which has pushed up global temperatures by 1.2C on pre-industrial levels, is making heatwaves longer, more intense and more likely.

Experts have warned of the need to adapt homes, cities and infrastructure in the UK for a future of more intense summer heat.

Hot air from Europe is contributing to the extreme heat in Britain, with a searing heatwave baking much of the continent, fuelling fierce wildfires in France and Spain.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a level 4 heat-health alert – described as an “emergency” – and the UK is under its first red extreme heat warning for a large part of England, issued by the Met Office.

Britons are being urged to stay inside during the hottest period of the day, between 11am and 4pm, and wear sun cream, a hat, stay in the shade and keep hydrated with water – and there are warnings about swimming in lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

The family of Robert Hattersley, 13, of Crawcrook, who died following an incident in the River Tyne near Ovingham in Northumberland, paid tribute to the teenager, saying he “brought a smile to so many people’s faces and he will be missed by absolutely everyone who knew and loved him”.

A 16-year-old boy died after getting into difficulty in Bray Lake, near Maidenhead, Berkshire, Thames Valley Police said, while the body of a 50-year-old man was recovered from Ardsley Reservoir, between Leeds and Wakefield, on Sunday.


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Mab Meirion
Mab Meirion
1 year ago

It was 36 degrees on the Mawddach so I’m told…

SundanceKid
SundanceKid
1 year ago

Costa del Cymru

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