Travel disruption warning for next week as extreme…

Travel disruption warning for next week as extreme heat to hit Greater Manchester

Temperatures are set to sore from Sunday, with highs of 35 C now predicted on Tuesday (July 19). The amber weather warning issued earlier in the week by The Met office has now been joined by a red warning for extreme heat.

The heatwave is set to bring sunshine, and the amber warning, over Manchester from Sunday, with highs of 29 C while the red warning has been reserved for the temperatures dipping over into the low to mid 30s. With temperatures reaching so high, there is even a chance of breaking Manchester's hottest day on record, set in 1976 when the mercury hit 33.7 C.

This heatwave is due to extreme heat that has been building across the continent of Europe with mainland countries such as Spain experiencing temperatures in the 40s. A southerly air flow from the continent is set to send the mild July weather away and replace it with scorching skies.

Along with the hot days, people can expect some disruption to travel as Operational meteorologist, Jonathan Vortrey, told the Manchester Evening News. He said: “The risk of travel disruption, a lot of railways can’t really operate too well when the temperature of the rails gets too high and similar with airports with the temperature of [the surface] and planes being able to take off.

“There’s going to be travel disruption associated with this, again and that might lead to welfare issues for some people who aren’t able to travel as they might expect to.

“A lot of people want to head to the coast, they want to head to lakes, they want to head to rivers, to hopefully try and cool down and that brings its own secondary risks as well. If everyone’s going to the coast then there’s the risk of overcrowding in places and we’d maybe advise people not to go swimming in lakes that aren’t meant to and that brings issues if people are out in the water.

Red weather warning issued over extreme heat (Met Office)

“We’ve had a fairly dry period that has led up to this heatwave as well and that means we’ve got to take care in terms of fire related hazards as well.

Despite the warning of disrupted travel, a Manchester Airport spokesperson said: “Like airports across the UK, we have plans in place to deal with abnormal weather conditions, including extreme heat.

“Our infrastructure, including the terminals and runways, is designed to cope with high temperatures and we conduct regular checks to ensure facilities are operating as they should.

“We also take the welfare of passengers and colleagues very seriously and will ensure there is access to drinking water throughout our site, in addition to providing suncream and encouraging regular breaks for staff who primarily work outdoors.”

If you planning on venturing out and enjoying the weather, Jonathan Vortrey had some great tips for staying, safe cool and looking after those around you.

He said: "Definitely keep hydrated, always make sure you're topping up your fluids and making sure your body is as healthy as possible. Stay in the shade, especially during daylight hours and don't go out in the sun too much.

Adding: "Keep curtains closed as well, in your buildings, at home, in flats and offices because the air outside when it's in that sunlight is going to be heated up quite a lot. So closing those curtains means we can stop that coming into our houses.

"Obviously, houses in the UK are built to keep heat in, rather than letting it out. So we need to try and stop that heat getting in too much.

"Make sure you're taking care with relatives, stay up to date with how everyone is doing, elderly relatives, children and animals if you have them. But with the opressive temperatures, just really everyone."

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