UK forecast to hit 37C this week

Much of the UK is facing a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures potentially reaching 37C in parts of south-east England. That would exceed the previous June high and follows record heat recorded in May. Scientists have described the records as extraordinary and say the UK needs to make preparations for more extreme heat a greater priority.

Between 2015 and 2024, the number of days exceeding 30C in the UK more than trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, according to the Met Office.

The UK's hottest recorded temperature stands at 40.3C, set in July 2022. Reaching 35C was a rare event throughout the 20th Century, but six out of the past ten years have passed that mark. 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 also dry out the soil, leaving more energy to warm the air and amplifying hot conditions.

The 40C heat of July 2022 saw a spike in deaths and hospital admissions, along with widespread disruption to road and rail networks. London Fire Brigade experienced its busiest day since World War Two as blazes raged around the capital. The temperature of steel railway lines can rise to up to 20C above air temperatures in direct sunlight, causing them to expand and buckle.

Road surfaces can also soften in the heat.

The government's independent adviser, the Climate Change Committee, criticised the performance of successive governments in getting the UK ready for more extreme heat. Without urgent action, more than 90% of existing homes could overheat during more extreme heatwaves by the middle of the century, the committee says.