The United Kingdom has recorded its hottest June day in history, with temperatures reaching 36.4 degrees Celsius in Somerset on Thursday. This marks the second time this week that the national June record has been broken, following a reading of 36.1C in Hampshire on Wednesday. The extreme heat has forced hundreds of schools to close early and caused significant disruption to transportation networks, with train operators advising passengers to avoid all non-essential travel. A rare red weather warning remains in effect until Friday for southern England.
Health Warnings and Hospital Strain
The Met Office has warned that the high temperatures could result in “population-wide adverse health effects,” leading to serious illness or even danger to life. Doctors are reporting increased pressure and difficult conditions in hospitals, according to the Royal College of Physicians. The college noted numerous reports of older patients collapsing due to dehydration and stated that extreme heat has caused medical machines and equipment to malfunction.
Transport Disruption
Commuters faced long delays on Wednesday evening as public transport struggled to cope with the heat. Train operators including South Western Railway, Thameslink, Northern, and Avanti West Coast have urged passengers to make only essential journeys and have implemented reduced timetables. Transport for London warned that “very high temperatures” might cause disruption to some Tube and rail services.
Record-Breaking Heatwave
Much of the UK is experiencing a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures potentially reaching 37C or higher in parts of southern England. That would surpass the previous June high and follows unprecedented heat in May. Scientists are warning that even hotter temperatures are likely in the years ahead, describing the records as “extraordinary” and stressing the need for the UK to prioritize preparations for more extreme heat.
Climate Change Link
“We expect increasing temperatures and the breaking of temperature records due to climate change,” said Lizzie Kendon, professor of climate science at the University of Bristol and head of climate projections at the UK Met Office. “What is so extraordinary, however, is the margin by which the record will be broken.” While temperatures vary naturally from year to year, UK summers have clearly been getting warmer. Between 2015 and 2024, the number of days exceeding 30C in the UK more than trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, the Met Office says. The maximum temperature recorded each year has also increased sharply. Reaching 35C was a rare event throughout the 20th century, but six out of the past 10 years have passed that mark. The UK’s hottest recorded temperature now stands at 40.3C, set in July 2022. Before 1990, the UK had not seen 37C.
Future Projections
If global warming continues at its current pace, temperatures in the mid-forties could be a serious possibility for the UK by 2050, according to Met Office projections. Higher temperatures driven by climate change also dry out the soil, reducing moisture available for evaporation and leaving more energy to warm the air, thus amplifying hot conditions. Some scientists have argued that climate change could make high-pressure systems more likely to get “stuck,” creating a “heat dome” that traps hot air underneath—as Europe has experienced this week. “Climate change [is] loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past,” said Dr. Akshay Deoras, senior research scientist at the University of Reading. Scientists emphasize that the only way to limit rising summer temperatures is to rapidly cut global emissions of planet-warming gases, such as carbon dioxide.
