Commuters are being warned to stay at home as Britain braces for 39C temperatures on what could be the country’s hottest day on record.
Forecasters are predicting temperatures in some parts of the UK on Thursday could top the current record for a July day of 36.7C, set at Heathrow Airport in 2015.
Transport bosses have advised against travelling as railway tracks are expected to buckle in the heat.
Please allow a moment for the live blog to load
Belgium and the Netherlands have seen their highest temperatures on record today, with the mercury hitting 38.9C and 38.8C respectively.
The UK is currently bracing for potentially the hottest day on record on Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach 39C and commuters being warned to stay home.
Read more here:
Network Rail staff have been handing out free bottles of water to passengers at London Liverpool Street station today.
Meanwhile, London Overground workers gave early-morning commuters collapsible reusable water bottles.
A number of stations, including London Paddington, Bristol Temple Meads and Reading have chilled water fountains which are free for the public to use.
Network Rail has said extreme weather action teams (EWATs) have been “activated” to keep passengers safe and trains running during the heatwave.
However the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, advised passengers in London and the South East to consider changing their travel plans on Thursday because of the expected heat.
Director of nations and regions Robert Nisbet said on behalf of train operators and Network Rail: “This week could see record-breaking hot weather for Britain.
“While train operators and Network Rail are working together to minimise disruption, we ask passengers to check before they travel and consider travelling earlier on Thursday if possible.
“We also ask people travelling by train to carry a water bottle and if they feel unwell, get off at the next stop where a member of staff will be happy to help.”
Analysis by Draper & Dash of hospital admissions due to dehydration during hot temperatures in the UK between 1 January 2017 and 23 July 2019 revealed:
- When temperatures hit 31C+ admissions with these symptoms/diagnoses rises 22.7% among the general population, and 33.3% for the elderly
- When temperatures hit 33C+ admissions with these symptoms/diagnoses rises 127% among the general population and 150% for the elderly
Leading bookie Coral is odds-on at 1-2 for the UK’s hottest ever temperature (38.5C) to be broken tomorrow.
The firm has gone 5-4 for 40C or higher tomorrow, while they are now 1-4 for this to be the hottest summer of all time in the UK.
Coral’s John Hill said: “The betting suggests we are set for a record-breaking day in the UK with the previous high of 38.5C set to be broken.
“In what is certain to be sweltering conditions, the odds have been cut on 40C or higher being recorded, while we are being bombarded with bets on this being the hottest summer ever in the UK.”
London might not be the only major European city to break its all-time temperature record tomorrow.
Brussels and Paris are also expected to top records set in 1947.
Some parts of the UK were kept awake by lightning strikes last night – and the same could happen overnight on Thursday.
The Met Office has issued an updated severe weather warning for thunderstorms, which have been sparked by the hot weather.
The warning, covering most of England and Scotland, is in place from 3pm on Thursday, to 4am on Friday.
Forecasters have warned spray and sudden flooding could cause difficult driving conditions and road closures, as well as delays or cancellations to train and bus services.
There is also a chance of power cuts and flooding caused by lightning, hail or gusts of wind.
Officers searching for a man last seen swimming at Shadwell Basin in the River Thames yesterday have recovered the body of a 23-year-old man, police say.
The death is not being treated as suspicious.
Searches continue to locate two other males who also went missing in the Thames yesterday.
The first swimmer was a man who was reported missing at 6.05pm, at Shadwell Basin in east London.
A second person who had been swimming near Waterloo Bridge was reported missing at 8.30pm.
A third man disappeared at 8.35pm near Kingston High Street.
Forecasters at the Met Office say there is a 60 per cent chance the UK temperature record of 38.5C, recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003, could be exceeded on Thursday.
The current record for a day in July is 36.7C, recorded at Heathrow Airport in 2015.
Forecaster Emma Smith said the highest overnight average temperature ever seen in the UK - which was 23.3C in July 1948 - could also be beaten on Thursday night into Friday.
Welcome to today's live coverage as a heatwave takes hold in Britain.
Transport bosses are warning commuters to stay at home tomorrow if they can, as temperatures are expected to soar up to 39C on Thursday.
A number of train companies will be running a significantly reduced service on Thursday to stop railway tracks, which could reach 50C in direct sunshine, from buckling.
National Rail has warned metal tracks in direct sunshine can exceed 50C, and speed restrictions will be in place to stop the rails buckling.
A number of railway companies will run a significantly reduced service on Thursday with fewer trains – and some could face speed restrictions as slow as 20mph.
This could lead to travel chaos as people who do need to travel are packed onto fewer trains.
