How unusual is this UK heatwave and what is the role of climate change?
Some might say these temperatures feel "just like summer" – and it's true they are a lot cooler than the record 40C and more the UK hit in July 2022.But it's important to be aware just how unusual mid-thirties temperatures are for the UK.In the second half of the 20th Century, one in ten years saw highs of 35C or more, BBC analysis of Met Office data shows.But this heat is becoming more common. Between 2015 and 2024, half of the years saw 35C or above.
And these temperatures are particularly unusual for June, typically the coolest summer month."Recording 34C in June in the UK is a relatively rare event, with just a handful of days since the 1960s," said Dr Amy Doherty, climate scientist at the Met Office.The hottest June day on record was in 1976 at 35.6C. The next years on the list are 2017 with a June high of 34.5C and 2019 with 34.0C. Forecasts suggest that 2025 could break into the top three. And further data from the Met Office also shows that over the decade 2014-2023, days exceeded 32C more than three times as often in the UK as during the 1961-1990 period.
Role of climate change
It is well-established that climate change is making heatwaves stronger and more likely.As humans burn coal, oil and gas and cut down forests, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere.These gases act like a blanket, causing the planet to heat up.So far humans have caused the planet to heat up by 1.36C above levels of the late 1800s, leading scientists reported earlier this month.That might not sound a lot. But even a small increase in the Earth's average temperature can shift heat extremes to much higher levels."Climate change is an absolute game-changer when it comes to heat in Europe, making heatwaves much more frequent, especially the hottest ones, and more intense," said Dr Friederike Otto, associate professor at Imperial College London.
And as climate change continues apace, heatwaves will keep on getting more likely and could reach even higher temperatures."The severity of summer heatwaves, but also extremes of dry as well as wet weather events, will continue to worsen until we rein in our greenhouse gas emissions and stabilise our warming climate," said Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of Reading.
Adapting to a warmer world
Temperatures in the mid-thirties are more common in other parts of the world of course.But in many cases the UK's infrastructure – from roads and railways to hospitals and care homes – is simply poorly designed for such heat.The Climate Change Committee - the government's independent adviser - has warned, for example, that more properties are likely to be at risk of overheating in the decades ahead.And these risks are not evenly distributed among the population."Air conditioning and other cooling systems become crucial to maintaining health, productivity and quality of life amidst rising temperatures," said Dr Radhika Khosla, associate professor at the University of Oxford"However, access to cooling is unfortunately rarely equal even in developed countries, and the UK's most disadvantaged people will bear the brunt of this heatwave," she added.And so heatwaves like this highlight not only the nature of our changing climate, but also the challenges adapting to it.
Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News
2 hours ago
- Sky News
Women's Euros: Extreme heat warnings in place as tournament kicks off
The Women's Euros begin in Switzerland today - with extreme heat warnings in place. Security measures have had to be relaxed by UEFA for the opening matches so fans can bring in water bottles. Temperatures could be about 30C (86F) when the Swiss hosts open their campaign against Norway in Basel this evening. Players have already seen the impact of heatwaves this summer at the men's Club World Cup in the US. It is raising new concerns in the global players' union about whether the stars of the sport are being protected in hot and humid conditions. FIFPRO has asked FIFA to allow cooling breaks every 15 minutes rather than just in the 30th minute of each half. There's also a request for half-time to be extended from 15 to 20 minutes to help lower the core temperature of players. FIFPRO's medical director, Dr Vincent Gouttebarge, said: "There are some very challenging weather conditions that we anticipated a couple of weeks ago already, that was already communicated to FIFA. "And I think the past few weeks were confirmation of all worries that the heat conditions will play a negative role for the performance and the health of the players." Football has seemed focused on players and fans baking in the Middle East - but scorching summers in Europe and the US are becoming increasingly problematic for sport. While climate change is a factor, the issue is not new and at the 1994 World Cup, players were steaming as temperatures rose in the US. There is now more awareness of the need for mitigation measures among players and their international union. FIFPRO feels football officials weren't responsive when it asked for kick-off times to be moved from the fierce afternoon heat in the US for the first 32-team Club World Cup. FIFA has to balance the needs of fans and broadcasters with welfare, with no desire to load all the matches in the same evening time slots. Electric storms have also seen six games stopped, including a two-hour pause during a Chelsea game at the weekend. This is the dress rehearsal for the World Cup next summer, which is mostly in the US. The use of more indoor, air conditioned stadiums should help. There is no prospect of moving the World Cup to winter, as Qatar had to do in 2022. And looking further ahead to this time in 2030, there will be World Cup matches in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The temperatures this week have been hitting 40C (104F) in some host cities. 1:08 FIFA said in a statement to Sky News: "Heat conditions are a serious topic that affect football globally. "At the FCWC some significant and progressive measures are being taken to protect the players from the heat. For instance, cooling breaks were implemented in 31 out of 54 matches so far. "Discussions on how to deal with heat conditions need to take place collectively and FIFA stands ready to facilitate this dialogue, including through the Task Force on Player Welfare, and to receive constructive input from all stakeholders on how to further enhance heat management. "In all of this, the protection of players must be at the centre."
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
'Grass is playing like clay' - Wimbledon's 'slow' courts
Wimbledon 2025Venue: All England Club Dates: 30 June-13 JulyCoverage: Live across BBC TV, radio and online with extensive coverage on BBC iPlayer, Red Button, Connected TVs and mobile app. Full coverage guide. Conditions have been tough for the players at Wimbledon, but for some it is not just the high temperatures making things difficult - it is also the grass they are playing of those competing at the Grand Slam this week have said the balls are bouncing differently, while one player said it is like playing on clay - traditionally a much slower has been an especially hot start to the tournament, with Monday setting a record for the warmest opening day when the temperature reached 32.3C, while the mercury rose to 33.4C on women's champion Barbora Krejcikova voiced her thoughts on the surface after battling back to win her opening match against Alexandra Eala."There's not enough water, and it gets really, really yellow, very, very fast," she said."I think with the heat, yes, the grass is more like stopping. The game is just different [to] what you are normally used to." 'This isn't grass anymore' - what have players said? Canadian Denis Shapovalov, the number 27 seed at Wimbledon, was knocked out by Argentina's Mariano Navone in the first was broken six times by his opponent as he suffered his earliest exit at the tournament since 2019."The balls are the worst, the grass tour has turned into a joke," he said after his defeat."This isn't grass anymore, the court is slower than a clay one. It's not even grass."Two-time champion Petra Kvitova said things had changed over the years."I'm not sure if it's only grass," she said after her final appearance at the All England Club ended in a defeat by 10th seed Emma Navarro. "Maybe it's the balls, as well. Overall it's getting slower."Eight top-10 seeded players have exited in the first round - the highest tally at a single Grand Slam event in the Open those to be knocked out was American third seed Jessica Pegula, who said the courts at Wimbledon "felt different" but added: "That's grass – they're all kind of different. It's a living surface, they're not going to play the same."Poland's former world number one Iga Swiatek, who beat Russian Polina Kudermetova 7-5 6-1 in her first-round match, feels the Wimbledon courts are playing slower but expects things to change in the coming days."It [Wimbledon] was slower, and kind of more slippery with the movement," she said. "But also with the heat and everything the ball bounced differently than how it will in the coming days, so I'm not really focusing on that. "With the change of the weather we will have to adjust every day to the different conditions." What is the effect of slower courts? Slower courts lead to longer rallies as players have more time on the ball. It can therefore also lead to longer matches, which can be more physically draining for doubles player Dom Inglot told BBC Sport that courts had been getting slower since 2001. Before that, you would see players hitting serve and volley predominantly rather than the long baseline rallies you more often see believes part of the change is down to Wimbledon wanting to make the courts more aesthetically appealing after years where the courts looked very worn by the second week, while also wanting to deliver a better spectacle for fans."The idea was Wimbledon had to compete with the great rallies you were seeing at the Australian Open, US Open, French Open," he said. "Serve and volley all the time was getting a bit mundane so they wanted more rallies and so there was discussion of do you change balls, do you change the court and I think they went with both."Inglot has been playing with this year's Wimbledon ball on hard courts and has found it is playing differently to last year's, and therefore expects that to be the case on also said the surfaces at different grass tournaments would play differently - including at the Wimbledon qualifying event at Roehampton and Queen's - and so doing well on those surfaces may not translate to doing well at the All England Club. A slower surface means players need to adapt their tactics. "It was ridiculous to think you could hit a kick serve that would jump off the surface like a kick works on clay or hard courts – that was not imaginable 10 years ago, now kick is working," he said."It used to be slice serves and flat serves but now you're using kick serves because you're starting to get the ball moving away from opponents." What type of grass is used at Wimbledon? Wimbledon has not commented on whether this year's courts are slower than in previous years. Since 2001 the Wimbledon grass is comprised of perennial pyegrass, which is said to have the durability and strength to withstand the wear of the modern official website says that during the tournament the height of grass is eight millimetres and is cut every day, while a "little bit of water" is put on the courts overnight.A number of factors affect the speed of a court which include the compacting of the soil over time, as well as the weather before and during the and dry days should make a ball lighter and faster, while cold and damp days would make it seem heavier and soil, it says, largely determines the bounce of ball, not the have been no changes to the specification of the ball since 1995, when there was a very minimal alteration in compression.
BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
UK dry weather 2025: Will there be a drought where I live?
If you live in north-west England or Yorkshire, you are already in an official state of drought, the Environment Agency says, and people living in other English regions could follow if the dry weather of us in eastern Scotland or parts of Wales are also seeing low water levels, according to water companies can affect different aspects of our lives and the environment. It can make it harder for farmers to grow crops, do harm to nature and mean you have to change how you use how is your area doing and how close are you to a drought? Here's a look at what's happening around the country, including our rain, rivers and reservoirs. One of the driest springs on record There is no single definition of drought or water scarcity - the measure in Scotland - but a long period of low rainfall is it rained less than normal across almost all of the UK between March and May, the UK's sixth driest spring since records began in there has been less moisture to top up our rivers, reservoirs and rocks below the ground. If that lack of rainfall continues for a long time, it can strain the water supplies that serve our homes and businesses. In June there was slightly more rainfall than average for the UK overall, but with a big difference between east and west. Parts of Northern Ireland, western Scotland, Wales and south-west England saw wetter conditions than usual. But most of central and eastern England and Scotland saw dry weather forecasts suggest drier than average conditions through much of July and possibly August would further increase the risk of drought. Drier rivers for most of the UK Monitors in rivers show us how they are flowing. At the end of May these river flows were below normal for about three-quarters of monitored sites around the one in five experienced "exceptionally low" flows. Provisional June data doesn't look much flows at the end of last month were about the same as - or even below - previous drought years of 1976, 2011, 2018 and 2022 for many eastern, central and southern regions, said Lucy Barker, hydrologist at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. Exceptionally low reservoirs in north England Reservoirs are a crucial part of water supplies in northern England, Scotland and the end of May, England's reservoirs were at their lowest combined levels for the time of year in records going back more than 30 levels in the North East and North West were exceptionally low - an important factor for drought being declared in Yorkshire and the North main reason for this is, of course, the lack of rain, but a small number reservoirs can be affected by other factors. Normally at this time of year, Scottish reservoirs are 85% full. Last week they were at 79%, according to Scottish Water. They are even lower in eastern Wales, most are around normal, although the reservoirs serving Mid and South Ceredigion in west Wales are below average, Welsh Water levels are about average in Northern Ireland, according to NI Water. A more mixed picture underground Much of south-east England relies more heavily on groundwater than originates as rainfall and is naturally stored beneath the surface in the pore spaces and fractures in rocks. Rocks that store lots of groundwater are called accounts for a third of England's water supply, though this is much higher in the south and is down to the UK's varied geology, which affects how much water can be stored in the can flow more quickly through some rock types than others, sometimes taking years to respond to current is the case for parts of south and east England, which is why these regions are currently closer to normal. These groundwater stores "respond more slowly to changes in the climate than rivers which is why they provide a useful buffer during periods of drought," said Prof Alan MacDonald of the British Geological is why groundwater droughts in the South generally take a longer time to develop but can be longer-lasting if they do occur. What are the consequences of the dry weather? People and nature are already feeling the effects."It's quite shocking that we are still only [in early] July," Rachel Hallos, deputy director of the National Farmers' Union, told BBC News."It's like it's the end of August when you look at the ground."With this little rain, farmers have had to get water onto their crops using irrigation. That has made things more expensive for them and means there is even less water to go is widespread concern about the months ahead, Mrs Hallos added."What am I going to have to harvest? What am I going to have to feed my livestock over winter?"And then there is the impact on wildlife. A spokesman from the bird protection charity RSPB said that a big challenge has been making sure enough water is getting to key wetland habitats so that birds have safe places to nest."We need to be thinking about making our sites more resilient to climate change, as these periods of prolonged dry weather become the norm."And it's not just water-loving birds that are having a hard time. Even in our gardens, common visitors like blackbirds can struggle to find worms and insects on our parched lawns, the RSPB says. Is climate change to blame? Droughts are complex phenomena, driven by a mix of natural and human Met Office expects the UK to experience drier summers on average in future as the world warms, though there has been no clear trend so rising temperatures can play a more fundamental role by sapping moisture from the soil via evaporation."A warmer atmosphere is thirstier for moisture and this can mean water in the soil, rivers and reservoirs are depleted more effectively, leading to more rapidly onsetting droughts, heatwaves and wildfires," said Richard Allan, professor of climate science at the University of there are other factors that determine whether dry conditions lead to water shortages, including how we use part of plans to address water shortages, the government is planning nine new reservoirs for England by 2050, in addition to one under construction at Havant Thicket in the Environment Agency has warned that measures to tackle water leaks and control water demand - potentially including hosepipe bans and more smart meters - may be needed in England companies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland also said they were taking steps to secure future supplies. Additional reporting by Dan Wainwright and Christine Jeavans Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
