Latest news with #GillianKay
Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Met Office's brutal 40C heatwave verdict as UK climate 'escalates'
Following a series on intense heat spells, the Met Office have warned that UK heatwaves are about to get longer and hotter in the coming years - risking dangerously high temperatures of up to 40C Brits have been urged to brace for hotter and longer heatwaves, following alarming new data from the Met Office. The UK has been sweltering under sky-high temperatures in recent weeks thanks to a series of intense hot spells. In fact, last month was the warmest June on record in England, and the second warmest in the UK since records began back in 1994. Then, on July 1, the UK experienced its hottest day of the year, with St James' Park in London reaching a scorching 34.7C. While the balmy temperatures and blue skies were dramatically quashed this week thanks to heavy rain and thunderstorms that battered huge parts of the nation - it seems Britain is set to bask in the sunshine once again. Temperatures reaching up to 27C are expected to return to multiple towns and cities this weekend. While the odd heatwave (especially one that lands on a weekend) may be appreciated by pasty Brits wanting to top up their tan, experts are concerned about the frequency of these extreme conditions. Heatwaves have been linked with thousands of deaths in recent years - with a staggering 2,295 people dying due to five periods of heat across the summer of 2023. Last month, a rapid analysis found that the UK's intense heat spell will 'likely' kill almost 600 people in England and Wales. "Heatwaves are silent killers – people who lose their lives in them typically have pre-existing health conditions and rarely have heat listed as a contributing cause of death," said Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, at Imperial College London. As a result, Met Office scientists have recently published a shocking study revealing the chance of temperatures exceeding 40°C in the UK is accelerating at pace. The UNSEEN study uses a global climate model to create a 'large set of plausible climate outcomes in the current climate'. This allows experts to predict the current risk and how extremes have changed over the last few decades. "The chance of exceeding 40°C has been rapidly increasing, and it is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s," Dr Gillian Kay, Senior Scientist at the Met Office, and lead author of the study states. "Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising." The study concluded that there is now a 50-50 chance of seeing another 40C day again in the next 12 years in the UK. "We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today's climate," Dr Kay added. Dr Nick Dunstone, Met Office Science Fellow and co-author of the study, warned that UK heatwaves are also becoming longer. "The well-known hot summer of 1976 had more than a fortnight above 28°C, which is a key heatwave threshold in southeast England," he explained. "Our study finds that in today's climate such conditions could persist for a month or more. These findings highlight the need to prepare and plan for the impacts of rising temperatures now, so we can better protect public health, infrastructure, and the environment from the growing threat of extreme heat."
NDTV
21-06-2025
- Climate
- NDTV
Why Are Railway Tracks Buckling In Britain? Know The Reason And Why Services Have To Be Stopped
With temperatures expected to reach record highs across the UK, the public transport network faces a big challenge. Rail routes across England, Scotland and Wales are already experiencing delays, cancellations, and a further increase in mercury could bring the entire network to a standstill. While countries with extreme temperatures are able to maintain and operate their rail networks, why do trains get cancelled when the temperatures reach north of 30 degree Celsius in the UK? As per Network Rail, abnormally high temperatures can cause steel rails across the network to buckle. During a summer heatwave, rails in direct sunlight can be up to 20 degrees Celsius hotter than the air temperature. "Because rails are made from steel, they expand as they get hotter, and can start to curve. This is known as buckling," Network Rail explained. Most of the network can operate when track temperatures hit up to 46 degree Celsius. However, with temperatures in parts of the UK set to hit 32 degree Celsius this weekend, parts of the rails may start to buckle. When the remote monitoring systems detect that a section of track might be expanding too much, the authorities are forced to introduce local speed restrictions. Slower trains exert lower forces on the track, reducing the chance of buckling. However, despite slowing the trains, the railway lines can still buckle. When this happens, the entire line is closed and repaired before trains can run again. This closure causes cancellations and inevitable delays. 40 degrees Celsius summer Earlier this week, the Met Office warned that the UK is now 20 times more likely to witness 40 degrees Celsius heat than it was in the 1960s. "Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance [of 40 C heat] to keep rising. We estimate a 50-50 chance of seeing a 40 C day again in the next 12 years," Dr Gillian Kay, lead author of a Met Office study into heatwaves, told Metro. "We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today's climate." She warned that the UK must 'prepare for even higher heat extremes in the near future'. When UK temperatures went over 40C for the first time that year, it was seen as a shocking outlier.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
UK risks more extreme, prolonged heatwaves in future: Study
This is an AI-generated image, used for representational purposes only. LONDON: The UK could experience more frequent extreme and prolonged heat due to climate change , its meteorological office said Wednesday, as the country braced for its first heatwave of the year. Met Office scientists said the island nation will see the "increased likelihood of extreme temperatures " over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The new study also "highlights how UK heatwaves could become longer and hotter due to escalating climate trends", the Met Office added. According to the research, in the current climate, heatwaves in the UK could persist for "a month or more". The UK, which is known for its frequent showers and mild summers, recorded its first temperature above 40 degrees in 2022. "The chance of exceeding 40 degrees C has been rapidly increasing, and it is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s," said Gillian Kay, senior scientist at the Met Office. "Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising," said Kay, adding there was a 50-per cent chance of seeing a 40-degree day in the next 12 years. Scientists warn that the intensity and frequency of global extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions . On Monday, the Met Office said a heatwave was "likely" in much of the UK this week, with the highest temperatures expected to exceed 30 degrees. "These findings highlight the need to prepare and plan for the impacts of rising temperatures now," said co-author Nick Dunstone. UK this year experienced its warmest spring on record. It also had the driest spring in over 50 years, with farmers facing damaged crop growth and the government warning about "exceptionally low" water reservoir levels. In May, the Environment Agency's deputy water director, Richard Thompson, warned that "changing climate means we will see more summer droughts in the coming decades".
Daily Mirror
19-06-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Exact date 13 regions could see 38C as heatwave maps turn deep red
New maps show exactly when temperatures in 13 areas could rise as high as 38C this month following a Met Office warning over scorching heatwaves similar to the summer of 2022 As many as 13 counties could see temperatures rise to a sweltering 38C this month as heatwave season appears to be well underway in the UK. The Met Office has already said the mercury could hit 33C across southern regions this coming weekend, but now advanced weather maps suggest it will go even higher before the end of June. The GFS weather model shows temperatures could reach 30C or above across almost all of England on June 29, with 33C coming in the north-west, Midlands and along the south coast. Temperatures in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to rise into the mid-20Cs. The following day, June 30, could be a record breaker as 13 counties across central, eastern and southern England could see 38C temperatures, according to the GFS model. This would smash the previous record temperature for June, which is 35.6C from Southampton in 1976. The counties are: Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Middlesex, Kent, and Sussex. Weather maps suggest July will start the same way June ends, with temperatures possibly rising over 30C in the north-west, East Anglia and the Midlands on July 1. These temperatures would constitute an official heatwave, declared when regions surpass the heatwave threshold for three consecutive days. That threshold varies from 25C to 28C across the UK. This comes after the Met Office warned there was a 50% chance of the UK seeing a repeat of the infamous 2022 heatwave - during which temperatures topped 40C for the first time ever - within the next 12 years. The meteorological experts also warned that far higher temperatures of 45C or more 'may be possible' in today's climate, while heatwaves could go on for a month or more. Temperatures peaked at 40.3C in Coningsby in Lincolnshire on July 19 2022, outstripping the previous top temperature of 38.7C in Cambridge, set just three years earlier, by 1.6C. Major incidents were announced by fire brigades in London, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire as dozens of fires broke out and ripped through houses, schools, churches and farmland, while there was widespread disruption to transport and power systems. More than 1,000 excess deaths among older people were recorded around the four-day peak of the heatwave, with more than 3,000 heat-related deaths in England over summer 2022. Analysis by the Met Office, using global models to create a large number of climate outcomes in current conditions, shows the risk of 40C temperatures in the UK has been rapidly increasing. Dr Gillian Kay, senior scientist at the Met Office, and lead author of the study, said: 'The chance of exceeding 40C has been rapidly increasing, and it is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s. 'Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising. We estimate a 50:50 chance of seeing a 40C day again in the next 12 years. We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today's climate.' Met Office weather outlook Thursday: Rain across Scotland will steadily clear northwards. Elsewhere dry with sunny spells, but the odd shower in the far southwest later. Breezier, especially in the southwest, but still very warm. Outlook for Friday to Sunday: Mostly dry and settled weather with very warm or hot sunshine. Humid in the north and west with scattered thundery showers possible. Turning fresher for many by Sunday.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
UK risks more extreme, prolonged heatwaves in future: study
The UK could experience more frequent extreme and prolonged heat due to climate change, its meteorological office said Wednesday, as the country braced for its first heatwave of the year. Met Office scientists said the island nation will see the "increased likelihood of extreme temperatures" over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The new study also "highlights how UK heatwaves could become longer and hotter due to escalating climate trends", the Met Office added. According to the research, in the current climate, heatwaves in the UK could persist for "a month or more". The UK, which is known for its frequent showers and mild summers, recorded its first temperature above 40 degrees in 2022. "The chance of exceeding 40 degrees C has been rapidly increasing, and it is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s," said Gillian Kay, senior scientist at the Met Office. "Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising," said Kay, adding there was a 50-percent chance of seeing a 40-degree day in the next 12 years. Scientists warn the intensity and frequency of global extreme weather events will increase as the planet continues to heat up because of fossil fuel emissions. On Monday, the Met office said a heatwave was "likely" in much of the UK this week, with the highest temperatures expected to exceed 30 degrees. "These findings highlight the need to prepare and plan for the impacts of rising temperatures now," said co-author Nick Dunstone. The UK this year experienced its warmest spring on record. It also had the driest spring in over 50 years, with farmers facing damaged crop growth and the government warning about "exceptionally low" water reservoir levels. In May, the Environment Agency's deputy water director Richard Thompson warned that "changing climate means we will see more summer droughts in the coming decades". aks/jkb/jhb
