UK breaks all-time June temperature record
The UK has recorded the hottest June day ever with 35.7C in Surrey, BBC reported.
It beats the previous record of 35.6C in Southampton, during the much-remembered 1976 heatwave.
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‘We’re considering moving to another city’
Daria, 28, has left Paris to stay with her partner’s parents for a few days to avoid the stifling heat in their top floor apartment.
“My partner, our cat and I live in a typical Parisian apartment right under the building’s roof,” she says. “Many roofs in the city are made of zinc, which is gorgeous, but unsustainable. Top-floor apartments are absolutely sizzling in this weather.”
The main reason they have left Paris is for the sake of their cat, Kopeck, she says.
“Last year, during a shorter but intense heatwave, our cat overheated so much she had to put out her tongue and panted, sort of like a puppy, just to cool down. After she threw up for the first time ever, when the heatwave started, we decided staying in our apartment was not sustainable.”
Kopeck is faring better now. “She likes to be in the sink. She asks for water by licking the tap.”
Daria worries about living in Paris in the long term as the temperature rises.
“We’re considering moving to another city because Paris is just not sustainable in the long run with this kind of weather. But moving means changing workplaces, which is complicated.”
She adds: “The only silver lining is that this sort of thing brings people together. There is a women-only Facebook group I am part of where we have started a list of air-conditioned places all around the city.”
Red weather alert extended to 72 of France's 96 mainland departments
A red extreme weather alert for France has been extended to 72 out of 96 French mainland departments tomorrow.
That’s three-quarters of the country, as per this map.
17 further areas will be on an orange alert.
Temperatures are “exceptionally high, both day and night, across the many departments under red alert,” Météo-France said.
‘I have spent €250 in three days just because of the heat’
Anna, a 50-year-old freelance translator living in Nantes, says the heatwave has forced her to abandon working from home and rent a co-working space in a local hotel with air conditioning.
“We’ve had temperatures over 40C for three days in a row, which never happened before,” she says. “It’s impossible to work where I live.
After struggling through an earlier heatwave in May, Anna drew up a list of air-conditioned co-working spaces she could use in future.
“It was too much. It was too difficult. Your brain is not working properly in that heat and I need my brain. That’s what I work with.”
Because there is no air conditioning on local public transport, Anna has been relying on taxis to travel between home, work and medical appointments.
“In three days I’ve spent around €250 on heat-related expenses,” she says. “If it were not for the heatwave, I wouldn’t have paid any of those costs.”
Anna, who has a chronic health condition and is due to spend a night in hospital this week, is particularly concerned about the lack of air conditioning in healthcare settings.
“There is no air conditioning in the university hospital apart from the operating theatres,” she says. “They can give you a fan, but at 40C outside it’s not going to cut it.”
Scotland records hottest day of the year
Scotland has recorded its hottest day of the year, with temperatures reaching a high of 29.4C at Dyce in Aberdeen on Tuesday, PA reports.
Temperatures at Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire hit a high of 29C on the same day and reached 28.7C at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Leuchars in Fife and Edinburgh.
Spain breaks June heat record this week
National weather agency AEMET on Wednesday said that mainland Spain recorded its highest daily average temperatures in June since at least 1950, AFP reports.
Though temperatures are expected to drop in most of the country today, parts of the Basque country in the north will still be marked red. Temperatures were expected to hit 39.3C in Bilbao today.
A London School of Economics event on extreme heat has been cancelled – because of the extreme heat.
“We regret that this event has been cancelled due to the red extreme heat warning issued by the UK Met Office,” the event page reads.
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If you child's school is open, keep sending kids in, education secretary says
Education correspondent
Hundreds of schools in England have closed or are closing early due to the heat this week, but the education secretary has urged parents to continue sending their children to school if it is open.
As the UK continued to swelter in heatwave conditions, Bridget Phillipson reminded parents about the cost of missed lessons and school absence, which the government has been grappling with since Covid.
She said: “I know hot weather can be a struggle. But my message to families is simple: if your child’s school is open, you should keep sending them into school.”
“Teachers are relaxing uniform rules, keeping classrooms cool, making sure children are hydrated, teaching critical skills like water safety, and avoiding vigorous activity on the hottest days.
If your child has medical needs which mean you’re especially worried about the heat, talk to your school about what they can do.
Every day of absence and lesson missed has a cost – and that cost falls hardest on our most disadvantaged pupils and working class communities. So, pack a water bottle, put on the sunscreen, and trust that your child’s school has got this.”
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How is the extreme heatwave affecting you? Let us know.
As we go into later afternoon on the continent, Nantes and Bordeaux are now both in the 40s. Paris is reporting 39C, as is Toulouse.
It’s 34C in London.
This is not normal.
Let us know how you are coping with the extreme weather and how is it affecting you.
Heatwave hits Europe with temperatures well above 30C - in pictures
Remember to stay hydrated
In these extreme temperatures, please do remember to stay hydrated.
Here is Pope Leo leading by example and drinking a glass of water at the end of his weekly general audience.
Next UK PM needs to 'stay the court' on climate policies to reduce fossil fuels dependence, campaigners say
Over in the UK, as the country faces breaking temperature records for June that have stood for 50 years since the summer of 1976, campaigners have called for the next Prime Minister to “stay the course” on climate policies, PA reported.
Greenpeace UK’s political campaigner Angharad Hopkinson said:
“The summer of ’76 may be seared into the nation’s memory, but it’s quickly being overtaken by even more terrifying heatwaves.
The only way off this hellish treadmill is to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
Our next prime minister needs to act on the evidence outside their window and the advice of their scientific advisors and stay the course on climate policies.”
A heatwave sweeping western Europe reduced France’s nuclear output on Wednesday as high temperatures across the country reduced access to water needed to cool reactors, Reuters reported.
Output was reduced by 4.1 gigawatts, or 7%, of total power demand at midday, data from French utility EDF showed.
French city of Nantes reporting temperatures above 40C
The French city of Nantes is currently one of the – if not the – hottest places in Europe, reporting 41C.
It’s 39.3C in Bordeaux and Bilbao across the border in Spain, 37C in Toulouse, and 37C in Paris.
German city of Stuttgart is reporting above 33C, as is the British capital, London.
Look after your pets, change their routines to protect them in heat, charities say
Special words of warning to all pet owners, so that you look after your dogs and cats and whatever other animals you have in these extreme temperatures.
The animal welfare charity RSPCA has called for “an immediate routine change for dog owners during the next 48 hours” to protect their furry friends.
Lauren Bennet, dog welfare expert at the RSPCA and a former veterinary nurse,said:
“During a red weather warning, dog owners should think of it like a temporary lockdown for their pets. For the next 24- 48 hours, routines need to immediately change.
This isn’t the time for walks, chasing the ball or playing fetch, or exposing pooches to energetic exercise.
It’s far better for dogs to miss a few walks completely than to suffer the potentially fatal consequences of overheating, or heatstroke. …
Fresh water, air flow, shade and mental enrichment can make all the difference during this intense period of extreme heat.”
There is also some useful guidance from the Dogs Trust in the UK.
94 million Europeans to experience temperatures above 35C today, AFP estimates show
To quantify it for you, at least 94 million people in Europe are expected to experience temperatures above 35C today, most of them in France and Spain, according to AFP estimates.
More than 350 million people will experience temperatures above 30C.
That’s two-third of the continent’s population – and we are only in June!
It’s time to update our weather forecast for today.
As you can see, large parts of western and central Europe are going to see high 30s and low 40s today.
And if anyone further east, say in Berlin, Prague or Warsaw is tempted to think: oh, that’s not affecting me then – you just wait for the weekend, when central and eastern Europe is about to be hit with the same heatwave as it moves eastwards.
Berlin is set to top 40C on Sunday, while Warsaw and Prague are both expected to see temperatures hit 39C.
‘I don’t get paid if I don’t work’
Maria*, 43, a self-employed sewing teacher originally from Spain who now lives in Amsterdam, has decided not to teach a six-hour class in Utrecht in the Netherlands on Friday because of concerns about the extreme heat.
She teaches in a former shop unit with large windows, no blinds and no air conditioning. Temperatures are forecast to reach 40C in Utrecht.
“It was really hard for me because I’m a people pleaser. I felt bad saying, ‘I’m sorry, but this is too much for my body.’ But I stuck with that feeling and I’m proud of myself for that.”
As a freelancer, cancelling work means losing income.
“I was going to work for six hours and if I don’t work, I don’t get paid,” she says. “If you’re self-employed and you don’t take care of your health, nobody else will.”
Maria believes many people in northern Europe are still underestimating how much the climate is changing.
“When you talk to people, they say, ‘Oh, but it’s only a few days.’ But it isn’t really only a few days any more. It’s getting hotter and hotter.”
Having lived in London for 11 years before moving to the Netherlands, she says she has watched summers become noticeably hotter.
“My first summer in London felt like there was no summer at all,” she says. “Then, year by year, it got hotter. Now London has summers that feel much more like Spain, and places like the Netherlands are getting temperatures that used to be associated with southern Europe.”
She worries that buildings, workplaces and public transport systems are not adapting quickly enough.
“I think people are closing their eyes to what is happening,” she says.
“It’s obvious that climate change is here. Hopefully more measures will be put in place in the future.”
*Name has been changed
'I know what the weather should be like in Paris, and it is not this’
Clara, 31, a librarian from Paris, France, says she would like to see a law passed to ensure workers can stop working when temperatures get too high.
At present, there are no maximum temperature thresholds in France.
“I work in an old, unrenovated building, which is south-facing, with poor insulation,” she says. “There’s no air conditioning, and as it is a public building, we of course cannot leave the windows open at night to help cool it down.”
She says they have small plastic fans, but once she steps away from them, the heat hits her, making it difficult to work. Getting to and from work is also uncomfortable.
Clara says train services have been reduced “because the heat is damaging the rails and carriages”. She describes her commute to work as “boiling” and says she has felt unwell while travelling.
Clara, who lives in a south-facing “old apartment” with poor insulation, says the temperature in her home has reached 30C.
“I know it is likely to get higher until the end of the heatwave, which causes me great anxiety as I struggle to ventilate it and can’t sleep at night because it’s too warm. I don’t have A/C, just a fan, but that overheats as I have it on so much.”
Clara, who was born in Paris, says she is very worried about the wider picture concerning the extreme heat.
“I know what the weather should be like in Paris, and it is not this,” she says.
“We are hearing everywhere that this is an unprecedented event and likely to get worse, but my government is doing nothing. The only advice we’ve received is to drink more water. There are few other official guidelines, and no set temperature at which work is cancelled. Everything is offloaded on individuals; it’s on us to do the right thing and protect ourselves while the country burns around us.”
‘It’s dangerous’: how UK schools, care homes and other workplaces are coping in soaring heat
Patrick Butler, Richard Adams, Andrew Gregory, Amelia Hill, Steven Morris, Gwyn Topham and Matthew Weaver
With temperatures in the UK approaching record levels for June, people are being advised to avoid exercise and unnecessary travel.
So how do you even work in this heat?
We look at how various sectors of the economy are coping with unprecedented temperatures, and how working practices will have to adapt to increasingly frequent heatwaves that are predicted to be longer and more intense owing to the global climate emergency.
For example, school leaders say it is lucky the heatwave arrived after the summer GCSE and A-level exam season, just as May’s heatwave coincided with most schools being closed for half-term.
“We’re dodging a few bullets, but I’m not sure how much longer we can keep dodging,” said Jo Rowley, a deputy headteacher in Stafford..
Red alert for 16 cities in Italy as extreme temperatures expected today
Italy’s health ministry issued “red alerts” for 16 cities on Wednesday with major cities such as Rome, Milan, Florence and Turin affected, AP reported.
The “bollino rosso” red alert signals emergency conditions that can affect not only vulnerable people but also healthy adults.
Temperatures could reach highs of 41C in Florence and 38C in Milan, while Rome and Naples are forecast to remain below 36C.
It’s not even midday in continental Europe, and some parts of France are already reporting temperatures above 36C (Bordeaux) and even near 38C (Nantes).
Paris is reporting 35C.
'The heat was at a different level'
Alex*, 37, who works in EU institutions in Brussels and is from Spain, says that while he is used to high temperatures, he has seen how other countries are struggling with insufficient infrastructure to cope with extreme heat.
He says temperatures of “38C, 39C, even 40C are not unheard of in Southern Spain in July and August”.
“I have lived in Northern Europe, and these regions are definitely not used to these temperatures,” he says.
“I think it is a big shock for the local population, and for the infrastructure too. It’s just not adapted to this heat. Air conditioning in restaurants and shops is not as common as it is in Spain, so 40C in Spain to me feels relatively manageable, also, because I think the climate is drier, whereas 40C, 42C, as we had in France, is very difficult.”
Alex was on holiday in Madrid over the weekend and drove back to Brussels with his A/C “on full power”.
“I drove through western France, and all the road informational screens recommended rest and hydration,” he says. “This level of heat is something that I think, particularly in central and southern Spain, we are more or less used to, at least in my lifetime.”
He says he did the same journey “a few years ago” in July and was able to stop off and climb the Grande Dune du Pilat in the Arcachon Bay area, south west France. This time, however, the heat was so intense that they had to wait several hours before they could make the climb.
“I remember going up there in July, and it was beautiful,” he says.
“This year I had to wait until sunset until 9.30pm because of the heat - it wasn’t safe to go there at 5pm, which was my original intention. Compared to other trips, the heat was at a different level this year.”
*Name has been changed
Updated
The Guardian’s Jane Clinton has been speaking to some people affected by the heatwave.
Let’s check what they’re saying.
Lib Dems urge government to open 'cool hubs' to help vulnerable people at UK braces for extreme heat
Over in the UK, the Liberal Democrats have called for the government to immediately open air-conditioned public buildings as “cool hubs” for vulnerable people during the heatwave, PA news agency reported.
They said gyms, leisure centres, libraries and other buildings could offer relief for those particularly at risk from the extreme heat.
The party also urged ministers to urgently prepare the country for more extreme temperatures by investing in cooling for hospitals, care homes and schools – echoing a call by the independent advisory Climate Change Committee on helping the UK adapt to global warming, PA said.
Earlier, the UK Met Office warned that a combination of extreme heat and humidity could have an impact on public health, infrastructure, power and water supplies.
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Europe heatwave 'putting people's health at risk,' WHO chief warns
Head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that Europe’s heatwave is “putting people’s health are risk.”
Here is his message this morning:
“Europe’s heatwave is closing schools and putting people’s health at risk.
The data are clear: temperatures across Europe are rising at roughly twice the global average rate, increasing the likelihood and severity of extreme heat in the future.
We cannot afford further delay. Leaders must prioritise investment in climate-resilient health systems, while also accelerating #ClimateAction and mitigating the drivers of the climate crisis.”
Europe battles record-breaking heat: is this the new normal? - The Latest
Europe is dealing with a debilitating heatwave, with schools closed, trains cancelled and France holding an emergency meeting after heat-related deaths.
And António Guterres, the UN chief, is urging the world to act on fossil fuels as the continent braces for record-breaking heat.
Lucy Hough speaks to Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan about the extraordinary heatwave hitting the continent this week.
Heat-related incident leaves 68,000 households with no electricity in northern France
Meanwhile in France, the heatwave caused the country’s first major power outage of the latest bout of extreme weather, AFP reported.
A heat-related incident with a transformer left around 68,000 households on Wednesday without electricity in the northwestern Finistere department, the authorities said.
Rare red heat warning kicks in the UK with temperatures expected to get near 40C
A rare red heat warning has kicked it at 9am London (10am Europe) for large parts of England and Wales, just for the second time ever, with temperatures expected to get close to 40C in some parts of the country.
The warning covers an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, and is due to last until 9pm on Thursday, PA news agency reported.
Meteorologist are expecting that during the peak of the heatwave, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C from July 2022.
Gulp. Stay safe everyone.
Spare a though all key workers who have no choice but have to work physically and outdoors in this weather.
Here is a postal worker from Paris (33C at the moment, but expected to get to 39C later).
And a construction worker in London (28C at 9:15am, but going up to 35C later).
Updated
The French city of Bordeaux is one of those expected to be most severely hit by extreme temperatures today.
It’s 33C there and it’s only 10am, and Météo France is expecting the temperatures of up to… 42C later today.
Updated
So here is your weather forecast for today, with some of the key European cities:
Paris 41C
Bordeaux 39C
Madrid 38C
Frankfurt 37C
Brussels 36C
Rome 35C
Bologna 35C
London 34C
Amsterdam 34C
Zurich 32C
Prague 32C
Berlin 31C
Barcelona 31C
Essentially, if you are anywhere between Lisbon (24C) and Warsaw (27C), it will be super hot.
Meteo France is showing that all of France is expected to go well above 30C this morning, with two-thirds of the country covered by a red weather alert.
It’s Jakub Krupa here, taking over from Taz Ali.
With the heatwave dominating the headlines across Europe, we will run a special edition of our daily Europe Live blog today focused just on this issue.
I will bring you all the latest here. Good morning.
The French environment minister, Monique Barbut, said the heatwave in France could continue until 14 July.
“Next week should see a relative pause,” she told the French radio channel France Inter.
“But Météo-France tells us there is a strong likelihood that, from the following week onwards, we will see a return to extreme heat, which could last until 14 July.”
Updated
Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesperson, said the agency is forecasting 39C as a headline maximum temperature on Thursday in the UK, most likely for somewhere in London or the south-east.
“It is possible we could see temperatures higher than the 39C if the final values are at the upper end of our narrow range,” he said, according to the Press Association.
“It is important to remember that the temperature value is only one element of this extreme heatwave story.
“The other major factor is the high humidity, which for many will make the intense heat even harder to endure.”
The highest temperature logged on Tuesday was 34.6C in Wisley, Surrey.
Updated
London mayor Sadiq Khan has triggered a “high” air pollution alert for the capital on advice from forecasters at Imperial College, the third one this year.
The heat has forced the army to cancel ceremonial operations in London and Windsor, to protect the “wellbeing” of its soldiers and horses.
UK June record to get 'absolutely smashed', BBC forecaster predicts
BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said he expected the UK June temperature record to get “absolutely smashed”, telling the Today programme: “I think this afternoon we’re probably looking at highs reaching around 37C, maybe 38C, so by a big margin we are likely to set a new June temperature record.”
Key event
Some relief from the heatwave could start to come from the west of Europe later today, which is when Spain’s national weather service said temperatures would drop in most of the country.
By the afternoon, only parts of the Basque country in the north will still be marked red, and on Thursday no part of Spain will be rated either red or orange.
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UK train delays and disruptions
Transport bosses in the UK have urged people to avoid travelling on Wednesday and Thursday, and warned those that do to “prepare for a disrupted journey”.
National Rail warned of disruption to Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink services until Friday.
Avanti West Coast said it planned to run fewer services than usual between Tuesday and Thursday, and that there was “a risk of further disruption”.
And Chiltern Railways said it had axed more than half its services until Friday “to ensure the safe operation of the railway”.
Eurostar has cancelled four trains planned to run between London and Paris on Wednesday and Thursday “due to expected adverse weather”.
Power outages in France
Europe’s record-breaking heatwave left around 68,000 households without electricity in western France on Wednesday, authorities said – the country’s first major power outage of the latest bout of extreme weather.
The outage, which involved a transformer on the electricity grid, was related to extreme temperatures, the prefecture in the coastal department of Finistere said in a statement.
Tuesday was the hottest day ever recorded in France, with an average temperature of 29.8C across the country. Similar conditions are expected until the weekend, with highs between 40C-42C and sweltering lows.
Nights look very uncomfortable, too, only dropping to 23C-28C in some parts of the country.
Updated
The extreme heat is expected to cause problems for parents today as schools in the UK shut early or close to protect pupils.
Almost 100 schools in Somerset will be fully closed on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the council. And about 100 schools will be at least partially closed over the next two days in Buckinghamshire, along with 86 schools in Gloucestershire, according to council data.
The Guardian’s Richard Adams and Fiona Harvey have written this timely piece about how the UK’s failure to plan for rising temperatures has left UK’s schools sweltering.
Updated
Temperatures could hit 40C today in some parts of England and Wales.
A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham was issued by the Met Office from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday.
During the peak of the heatwave on these two days, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C, measured in Lincolnshire in July 2022.
The latest heatwave is also expected to surpass the record for June of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.
Updated
Here’s a video showing Wednesday’s forecast for the UK from the Met Office, according to an update before midnight.
Some low cloud is possible to start the day but this will clear quickly to bring wall-to-wall blue skies for many. It is going to be an exceptionally hot day with both amber and red extreme heat warnings in places.
The temperatures in some parts of the UK did not drop below 20C overnight.
Updated
Opening summary
Europe is braced for another day of an unprecedented heatwave that has smashed records in many countries.
Italy’s health ministry has declared a red heatwave alert in 16 cities for Wednesday, including Milan and Rome, and in the UK, temperatures are expected to reach 40C in some areas.
The extreme weather is being driven by atmospheric and circulation patterns that keep hot air trapped in place for days, causing the mercury to slowly rise, with these factors exacerbated by global heating, experts say.
The UK is braced for record-breaking temperatures, with schools to close and people urged not to travel. Temperatures could hit 40C on Wednesday and Thursday in some parts of England and Wales and a red weather warning for extreme heat is in place covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham.
On Tuesday, France registered its hottest day on record as 40 people across the country were confirmed to have drowned while swimming in unsupervised areas over the last few days.
More than 90% of the French population is exposed to extreme heat – government data shows – with temperatures of 39C to 41C expected on Wednesday from Brittany to the Paris region, and in much of the south-west.
From Wednesday until at least Friday, central and southern Netherlands will be under a code orange for extreme heat. Anyone living in Amsterdam with a city pass may swim for free in six city outdoor pools, while the national rail company will run fewer trains on a number of routes from Wednesday due to the expected heat.
In the coming days, the heatwave is expected to extend into eastern Europe.
Poland’s weather service issued high-level heat warnings for the western part of the country from Thursday to Saturday, forecasting temperatures could break records.
Croatia’s popular Adriatic coast was also put under red alert for Friday and Saturday.
Hungary, already under a second-level heat alert, said it was raising that to the maximum level from Saturday to Tuesday as temperatures continued to rise.
