Category Archives: UK weather

Prices fall as UK heatwave produces glut of soft fruit

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Yields of cherries, strawberries and blueberries could more than double on the same time last year

The UK heatwave has produced a glut in strawberry, cherry and blueberry harvests prompting a wave of discounts in stores and lower prices for British farmers.

Strawberry farmers said they were picking as much as 30% more fruit than usual, and blueberry growers at least 50% more this week as temperatures topped 40C on Tuesday in some parts of England. Yields are expected to be double that of the same week last year in the week ahead. Blackberry harvests are expected to be up 80% on the same time last year this week according to the British Berry Growers association.

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Weather tracker: record-breaking heat continues to scorch western Europe

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UK temperatures exceed 40C while France and Portugal hit new highs, with some extreme consequences

Record-breaking heat continued to affect parts of western Europe during the past week, with UK temperatures exceeding 40C (104F) for the first time since records began.

On Tuesday, several weather stations across London, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire broke the 40C barrier, with a top temperature of 40.3C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire. A further 39 stations across central and southern England also broke the previous highest temperature of 38.7C, which was set in July 2019.

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Storms threaten more disruption on heels of record-breaking UK heat

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After temperatures reached 40C, scientists warn of such episodes every three years if emissions are not lowered

Hundreds of firefighters battled blazes across England on Tuesday as temperatures surged to a historic high of 40.3C, capping two days of extreme heat that scientists warn is “a wake up call” for the climate emergency.

The temperature is set to drop by up to 10C in some areas on Wednesday, with heavy showers and thunderstorms predicted in parts of northern England and southern Scotland, with the potential for localised flooding, lightning strikes, transport disruption and power cuts.

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Extreme UK weather live: temperature passes 40C for first time; London fire brigade warns of ‘huge surge in fires’

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London Heathrow records hottest ever temperature; London mayor Sadiq Khan says major incident has been declared

Met Office chief meteorologist Neil Armstrong has a helpful explanation of what the chances are of the UK reaching 40C today and what this would represent:

Even higher maximum temperatures will develop tomorrow with a 70% chance of somewhere in England exceeding 40°C. A value of this level would exceed the current UK record by 1.3°C or more. This is akin to a marathon runner shaving 20 minutes off of the current record.

Weather forecast models are run numerous times to help us quantify the likelihood of a particular event occurring and estimate the uncertainty which is always present in weather forecasting to some degree. Some models are now producing a 70% chance of maximum temperatures in excess of 40°C in isolated parts of the UK for the start of next week. Mid- to high-30s Celsius will be seen more widely with a 95% chance we will exceed the current record.

Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK. The chances of seeing 40°C days in the UK could be as much as 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a natural climate unaffected by human influence. The likelihood of exceeding 40°C anywhere in the UK in a given year has also been rapidly increasing, and, even with current pledges on emissions reductions, such extremes could be taking place every 15 years in the climate of 2100.

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Global heating hits home up north as it sizzles along with UK south

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Analysis: As heat records break across Britain, the north of England and Scotland are reassessing the effects of the climate crisis

Newspaper readers in the UK’s northern half were used to scowling at the front pages every time they declared a sizzling summer. “It may well be sizzling in the south but it’s chucking it down in Hull/freezing in Wrexham/blowing a hoolie in Aberdeen” they grumbled, as they put on another cardigan or rescued the washing from a downpour.

Not this time. With a few exceptions (it’s still coat weather for those living in Shetland) much of the UK really has been outrageously hot this week. Whether it is asphalt melting, schools shutting or allotments withering, all but the most hardcore of climate crisis deniers now accept people are experiencing the effects of global heating in their own communities.

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‘Meltdown Monday’ and ‘Blowtorch Britain’: what the papers say about UK heatwave

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‘Ferocious’ temperatures loom while the Conservative leadership debate is wrung out on the UK front pages of Monday 18 July 2022

“Red alert: ‘ferocious’ heatwave set to send temperatures beyond 40C” – the Guardian leads with the weather and a picture of firefighters on duty in France. The Conservative party’s TV bloodletting is wrapped up as well: “Tory leadership debate exposes deep divisions”. The intro says it was a “bad-tempered” show.

“Blowtorch Britain” says the Mirror, as “42C record heat is on”. The “revellers” shown jumping into the sea at Brighton look happy enough to brave the conditions.

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UK heatwave: people urged not to use trains from Monday

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Network Rail says to avoid trains unless absolutely necessary, with much of country covered by extreme heat alert

Passengers have been urged not to travel by train from Monday as a record-breaking heatwave hits the UK, while the deputy prime minister said schools should not close and people should be resilient enough to “enjoy the sunshine”.

The country’s first ever red warning for exceptional heat comes into force at midnight on Sunday, with temperatures expected to climb up to 41C (105.8F) over the next two days, breaking the country’s heat records.

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Johnson skips emergency Cobra meeting as experts warn thousands may die in UK heatwave

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Prime minister stays at Chequers as NHS, schools and transport providers issue warnings about fatally high temperatures

Boris Johnson was accused on Saturday of being “missing in action” after failing to attend a Cobra meeting to discuss the national heatwave emergency following predictions that thousands could die in the coming days.

As the threat to life from the impending heatwave continues to crystallise, the prime minister chose to skip the meeting on Saturday. He instead stayed at his Chequers country retreat, where he is due to hold a thank you party for supporters on Sunday.

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England braces for 40C temperatures as experts warn thousands could die

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Level 4 heat alert announced for next week means ‘illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy’

Thousands of people could die in the coming heatwave, experts have warned, as the government triggered the first ever national emergency heat red alert with a record 40C (104F) temperature forecast for south-east England on Tuesday.

Health officials fear people living alone on upper floors of buildings are among those who could perish, as people did in Paris in 2003. Last year two lesser heat episodes caused about 1,600 excess deaths, according to official figures.

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Avoid booze and close the curtains: how to cope in England’s 40C heatwave

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Health officials are advising people how to stay safe during expected record temperatures next week

Put that cold beer down, hold the iced coffee and shut the window. Common tricks for keeping cool in a British summer do not apply to the sweltering, record-breaking temperatures forecast for much of England early next week.

Heat of 40C (104F) is a risk to life and not only to vulnerable people. Healthy people who do not take care were also in danger, government health officials warned on Friday. So go easy on the caffeine and alcohol, pull the curtains, drink water and stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day. Importantly, do not presume the air outside is cooler than inside. But, most of all, check that people who live alone or in potentially hot and stuffy rooms are safe.

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Boat owners on UK’s longest canal stuck amid record water shortage

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A lack of recent rainfall forces part of the Leeds-Liverpool canal to shut while 5 million face a hosepipe ban

Boat owners on the UK’s longest canal will not be able to move their boats next week, due to a water shortage, while 5 million people have been warned they may be soon facing a hosepipe ban.

Stretches of the Leeds-Liverpool canal will be closed during periods next week after a lack of rainfall has led to low levels in some Yorkshire and Lancashire reservoirs, leaving canal locks unable to be filled.

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Weather tracker: heatwave to sweep northwards across Europe

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Parts of France and Germany likely to experience temperatures above 40C this week, while highs in Iberia could touch 47C

Europe is once again entering a period of significant heatwave conditions this week, with the possibility of some record-breaking temperatures.

Sweltering heat has already been affecting Iberia over the past few days, with temperatures 4-5C above the seasonal norm, leading to highs above 40C (104F). Through the rest of this week, the heat is likely to build even more intensely to about 7C above average, with maximum temperatures touching 46-47C in Seville, for instance.

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UK heatwave: parents urged to keep children out of sun

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Temperatures predicted to hit 33C on Tuesday, with level 2 heat health alert issued for south-east England

Parents are being advised to keep children out of the sun as the UK braces for a heatwave.

With temperatures predicted to hit a high of 33C (91.4F) on Tuesday, Sheffield children’s hospital says children should wear sun cream, light-coloured clothing and stick to the shade to avoid overheating.

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‘Move inside’, Met Office warns south England as thunderstorms cluster

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Sudden temperature plunge prompts rare lightning warning, but better weather expected by next weekend

The Met Office has urged people to stay indoors where possible as the south of England is struck by a “huge cluster” of thunderstorms.

As temperatures plummeted from Friday’s highs of 32C, the forecaster issued a lightning warning that it has only used a “handful” of times before.

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Brace for heatwaves next week and more often, says Met Office

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Temperatures expected to hit 32C in south-east England on Friday as forecasters warn heatwaves becoming more likely

Temperatures could reach the mid-30s in parts of the UK this week as forecasters said that Britain should brace itself for its “first properly hot summer’s day”.

The coming months will also bring heatwaves which the Met Office has previously warned are becoming more likely due to climate change and the higher concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere.

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Britain forecast to bask in sunshine with temperature as high as 27C

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Warm weekend weather could lead to heavy rain in parts but more fine days are expected in the next week

Most of Britain can expect to be bathed in sunshine in the coming week as temperatures climb to a possible high of 27C in what would make the warmest spell of the year.

Saturday could be “16-19C widely – with 24C the possible high in the south-east”, according to Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern.

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UK weather: highs of 22C expected during Easter weekend

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Fine and dry weather expected for most, with possible showers in north-west, before cooler Monday

Most of the country will bask in fine and dry weather over the Easter weekend, with forecasters predicting that a new record for the hottest day of the year could be set on Good Friday.

Temperatures are expected to rise to more than 10C above average, peaking at 22C in some parts of the UK.

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Strong winds in north Wales were a tornado, experts confirm

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Tornado with speeds of up to 114mph swept up sheep and caused extensive damage to farm in Pennal

Strong winds that caused “at least £100,000” of damage to a farm in north Wales have been confirmed as a tornado by experts.

The extreme weather struck Gogarth Hall Farm in Pennal on Wednesday, uprooting trees and lifting a ewe and lambs into the air.

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UK temperatures to plummet to as low as minus 6C over weekend

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Gardeners warned of frost damage to blooms on Saturday night ahead of a week of unsettled weather

The UK is braced for more wintry weather across the weekend with frost creeping in overnight and temperatures set to plummet as low as minus 6C in some areas.

Forecasters said the “peaks and troughs” of spring will hit most of the country over the next week, with sunny spells and windy intervals expected in most regions.

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‘Even snow or sleet’: wintry weather forecast for UK this week

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A cold front will push down from the north in midweek and temperatures will plummet, Met Office says

Snow could fall in parts of the UK this week, with temperatures set to plummet over the coming days, forecasters say.

The Met Office said the country would see colder, cloudier and more unsettled weather from Monday, with the risk of wintry weather in the middle of the week.

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