UK On Brink Of First-Ever Level 4 Heatwave
The UK is staring into the face of its first ever level four heatwave, which poses a serious risk to life and health.
While there are plenty of things to enjoy about hot weather, a level four heatwave is classified as a 'national emergency'.
That means the situation has gone beyond 'be careful when popping out to enjoy the sunshine' into 'people are at risk of dying from this'.
Per the Daily Express, the government have called a COBRA meeting to mull over declaring the UK's first ever level four heatwave and officially labelling this hot weather a national emergency.
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The Met Office has issued an extreme heat warning for England and Wales as they warn of 'exceptionally high temperatures' battering the UK.
They have signalled that the current heatwave poses a 'danger to life' not just limited to those who would normally be suffering from the heat.
⚠️⚠️Amber Weather Warning issued⚠️⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 11, 2022
This rare Extreme Heat warning covers much of England and parts of Wales 📈
Exceptionally high temperatures are possible from Sunday, lasting into early next week #heatwave 🌡️
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/Ahe0nxK4aU
Rebekah Sherwin of the Met Office said they ran potential weather forecasts 'hundreds of times' to work out the most likely outcome and were seeing very high temperatures in some of their workings.
She said: "Some models have been producing maximum temperatures in excess of 40C in parts of the UK over the coming weekend and beyond.
"At longer time scales temperature forecasts become less reliable, so whilst these figures can’t be ruled out, they are still only a low probability."
"A number of weather scenarios are still possible and at the current time, mid- or perhaps high-30s are looking more likely."
This level of heatwave the UK stands on the brink of reaching means a risk of water shortages and a greater strain on the emergency services as they struggle to deal with the extra challenges.
The sweltering heat is expected to peak on Sunday (17 July), a day that could set a new record for the UK's hottest ever day.
Britain is not really built for extremely hot temperatures, which seems sensible in a country known for wet and windy weather but that comes back to bite us in a heatwave.
The advice for dealing with a level four heatwave recommends staying out of the sunlight as much as possible.
Met Office advice is to try and keep your home as cool as possible, with windows shaded and shut during the day when it is warmest while recommending they be opened later at night when the air is cooler.
As for personal advice, they recommend staying out of the sun, drinking plenty of water and checking on people who may be more vulnerable to the heat such as elderly relatives and those with heath conditions.
It's no surprise that many people may choose to sleep with the fan on during the night to dodge the heat for just a few hours.
Joe Harker