UK records hottest day of year as temperature hits 38.1 degrees Celsius, why Britain faces heatwave?

Oin a significant development, the UK recorded its hottest day of the year on Thursday as temperature has hit 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in west London, the national weather service said, as an intense stretch of hot weather continued to grip Europe. Apart from this, the Met Office stated that the temperature surpassed this year’s previous high of 38 C (100.4 F), recorded on June 28. The weather department also remained below the UK’s August record of 38.5 C (101.3 F), set in 2003.

Britain, just like France, experiences its fifth heat wave of year

It should noted that Britain, just like France, is experiencing its fifth heat wave of the year, with the first recorded in May and the extreme heat means 2026 has now had a record four days with temperatures of 36 C (96.8 F) or higher. It also has matched 2022 with two days reaching 38 C.

In the meantime, the temperatures in France have gone even higher, approaching 41 C (106 F) in several areas, from Aquitaine in the southwest to the Rhone River valley in the east, according to the national weather service. The weather office has predicted that the most intense heat will move eastward away from Britain and France on Friday and then recede over the weekend.

Britain and France not prepared for heatwave

Britain and France are not prepared for heatwave as this summer has shown that both Britain and France are ill-equipped to deal with these levels of heat. Air conditioning is a rarity outside of shops and offices, for example.

In Britain, nurses have collapsed from heat exhaustion while working in hospitals, many housed in aging buildings that lack adequate cooling, the Royal College of Nursing said.

Drought conditions are also spreading

Along with heatwave, Britain and France are facing widespread drought conditions that have shriveled crops and drained rivers, heaping pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment, and forcing governments and water users to seek both short- and long-term measures to mitigate the effects of human-caused climate change.

Notably, Britain’s Southern Water, which oversees supplies in the south of England, has applied for a rare drought order which would ban businesses from nonessential water use, including cleaning cars and filling nondomestic swimming pools, saying an “exceptional” lack of rain is threatening supplies. Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will decide on the application, which would be the first such ban since May 2006.

With inputs from AP

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