Met Office issues unprecedented 46 degrees extreme weather warning to Brits
The Met Office has revealed a new study which promises a lot more 'bloody hell it's hot' chatter across the UK in the coming years.
But, bloody hell, it really is hot, and tomorrow's going to be even warmer, with forecasted highs of 31 °C in parts. We're just not geared up for the heat, are we?
Well, it seems it's not going to get any cooler in the future with the ongoing issue of climate change pushing up temperatures to unprecedented levels.
The deadly heatwave of 2022
You'll probably remember the summer of 2022, when temperatures reached 40°C for the first time since records began, with a high of 40.3°C in Lincolnshire, surpassing Cambridge's previous high of 38.7°C in 2019.
Within the four-day peak of the heatwave, there were over 1,000 deaths among older adults, as well as more than 3,000 heat-related deaths in the UK over the summer.
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It was seriously awful with widespread disruption to transport and power systems, not to mention dozens of fires breaking out in London and Yorkshire.
And now, new analysis by the Met Office suggests that this very warm trend will continue as the UK now has a '50:50 chance of seeing 40°C temperatures again in the next 12 years'.
The Met Office says 46°C weather is 'plausible'
The weather service has warned that temperatures up to a maximum of 46.6°C are also 'plausible'.
"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," said Dr Gillian Kay, the lead author of the study.
"Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising."
Projections were made using global models to create a number of climate outcomes in the current weather conditions, Sky News reports.
Dr Kay, a senior scientist at the Met Office, added: "We estimate a 50:50 chance of seeing a 40°C 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."
Heatwaves will be 'much more severe'
The study also predicted that heatwaves will be 'much more severe' and that up to two-thirds of the summer could consist of 28°C plus in south-east England for a one-month period.
12 consecutive days above 35°C is also possible, it adds, with a recommendation to plan ahead of such hot days.
Dr Nick Dunstone, Met Office science fellow and co-author of the study, said: "The well-known hot summer of 1976 had more than a fortnight above 28°C, which is a key heatwave threshold in south-east England.
"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."
Anish Vij