Blazing Hot UK

The UK could have its hottest day on record this week, with temperatures forecast to hit up to 41C (106F). In fact, according to BBC, London is set to be one of the hottest places in the world today, with temperatures soaring above the Western Sahara and the Caribbean. 

The Met Office have already issued a red extreme heat warning on Monday and Tuesday in much of England, from London and the south-east up to York and Manchester. Grahame Madge, a spokesperson said that temperatures reaching 40C would be a ‘historic event’.

The current highest temperature in the UK is 38.7C, in Cambridge in 2019. 

The remaining parts of the UK – including Wales and Scotland – are reportedly under amber alert, which is also issued for high temperature. While there is no warning in place for Northern Ireland, temperatures are predicted to reach 30C today. 

New Zealand-based meteorologist Ben Noll compared the temperature forecast for the UK with other hotspots in the world and said on Twitter that almost 99 percent of Earth's surface will be cooler than the country!

"The highest predicted UK temperature on Tuesday (near 41C) would be hotter than about 98.8% of Earth. The only hotter places include California and the Plains in the US, the Sahara Desert, France, Belgium, the Middle East, India, and western China", Noll said in his tweet. 

The red (or level 4) alert is defined on the Met office website as being reached "when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.