An amber heat health warning has been issued for London as the next summer heatwave is set to sizzle throughout the capital.
The peak will hit on Friday, July 11, with highs expected to reach 32C, but Saturday isn’t too much better, topping out at 31C.
The beginning of next week should be cooler, but the temperatures in the meantime will be baking.
Whenever temperatures skyrocket, it evokes memories of those who were in London for the heatwave of 1976. Here’s a reminder of how that played out to make the current temperatures feel cooler.
The heatwave of 1976
From June to August 1976, temperatures were unbearably hot, but the hottest temperatures were felt on July 3, one of the hottest days on record in the UK.
Cheltenham saw the highest temperatures of 35.9C °C on that day, but it wasn’t a one-off event.
Heathrow had 16 consecutive days over 30 °C from June 23 to July 8, with five of those days measuring temperatures over 35C.
The humid weather also sparked a drought across the UK, with some areas of the country going a testing 45 days without rain. This, in turn, led to several bushfires, causing damage to wildlife and property.
Speaking of wildlife, the high temperatures caused an estimated 23.65 billion seven-spotted ladybirds to swarm across southern and eastern England.
The warm weather increased their food supply and led to larger numbers, but when the food ran out, the insects began clustering together in alarming swarms.
In terms of human impact, there were 20 per cent 'excess deaths' during the heatwave, as well as a notable increase in hospital emergency admissions due to heatstroke and other heat-related ailments.
