First heatwave this year declared in London and across Britain
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Visitors at Canary Wharf's swimming area in London amid a heatwave on June 11.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LONDON - Maximum temperatures in several regions of the United Kingdom have reached the official threshold for a heatwave, according to Britain’s national weather service the Met Office.
The “heatwave criteria has now been met fairly widely across the UK, and the high temperatures we are currently experiencing are set to continue for many into next week,” the Met Office said.
A heatwave is when there are at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the long-term daily maximum levels, according to the forecaster’s website.
In London, that threshold is 28 deg C and though temperatures will dip, peak temperatures are set to remain above 25 deg C every day in London until at least Monday.
Europe is bracing itself for another summer of extreme weather
Last year, a historic drought and deadly heat waves dried up rivers, caused wildfires and affected transportation. This all contributed to volatility in energy and commodity prices.
The hot weather will potentially boost demand for energy to keep buildings cool.
In anticipation of higher energy demand, Britain’s grid manager asked one power-station operator to warm up a coal-fired unit
Britain’s heat dragging on has also prompted health alerts to be extended until June 19 across all of England. The nation’s Health Security Agency issued this as a yellow warning, noting the heat could have a “significant impact” on the people’s health.
Over the weekend, temperatures peaked at 32.2 deg C in Chertsey near London, making Saturday the warmest day of the year so far in England.
On Tuesday, the mercury will peak 5 deg C higher in London compared to Madrid.
While the Iberian peninsula has had milder weather recently, in Seville, in southern Spain, a peak near 45 deg C is expected later this month, data compiled by Bloomberg show. BLOOMBERG
