Thousands brave the heat to watch summer solstice sunrise

Thousands of people watched the sunrise over Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice, signifying the end of spring.
Those who gathered for the spectacle on Saturday at the neolithic monument in Wiltshire braved a warm start to the morning as they marked the year's longest day.
Temperatures in Salisbury and Greater London reached 18C by 5am, according to the Met Office.
The weather bureau confirmed that Yeovilton in Somerset and Crosby in Merseyside recorded the highest overnight temperatures in England, both reaching 19.7C by 6am on Saturday.
Towns in Cumbria and Lancashire also recorded temperatures above 19C.
An amber heat-health alert for all regions in England remains in place for the weekend.
Solstice events at Stonehenge mark some of the rare occasions visitors are allowed close to the stones at the World Heritage site.
In the lead up to the event, both Stonehenge and Wiltshire Police posted social media warnings about heavy traffic and pedestrians.
Stonehenge is a monument built on the alignment of the midsummer sunrise and the midwinter sunset.
On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone -the ancient entrance to the Stone Circle – and rays of sunlight are channelled into the centre of the monument.
It is believed solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years.
The summer solstice takes place as one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the sun as it reaches its highest position in the sky, ensuring the longest period of daylight for the year.
English Heritage curator of history Jennifer Wexler said people had been marking the solstice at the stones going back thousands of years.
'The solstice at Stonehenge is one of our most special moments,' she told an English Heritage live stream.
'It's the longest day of the year, but also the time when the sun is the highest in the sky.
'We think people were marking it here on site and gathering here for thousands of years.'
The Met Office confirmed that 'many places' in England and 'one or two areas' in Wales, including Cardiff, entered a heatwave on Friday.
The amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

30 minutes ago

• Yahoo

UK weather: 'Fresher' conditions for much of country after hottest day of year so far

Much of the UK had cooler temperatures on Sunday with "fresher" conditions - apart from the South East - after thunderstorms swept through parts of the country overnight. A yellow thunderstorm warning issued by the Met Office lasted until 3am for areas including northern England and southeast Scotland. Some parts had up to 25mm of rainfall in one hour, the weather agency said. Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland saw 31.1mm overnight and was among the locations that saw the wettest conditions. See the weather forecast in your area It comes after the UK had the hottest day of the year so far, with 33.2C (91.7F) recorded in Charlwood, Surrey, on Saturday. Scores of rail passengers were evacuated after some services were halted following a fault on a train. Some parts of the country have experienced a heatwave over the past few days but temperatures are now closer to average for the time of year. However, Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna said temperatures could hit 27C or 28C in the South East on England on Sunday. He added: "Elsewhere, there's a fresher feel, quite breezy as well, so most places, high teens, low 20s for temperatures, and it stays quite showery tonight. "Even the South East could get a few showers coming in from the west, so a mixture really of clear spells and showers tonight. "It could turn a bit chilly in Scotland, down to 3 or 4 degrees in some rural spots, but for most places, temperatures, certainly towns and cities, generally holding up in double figures, but a fresher feel compared to what we've had recent nights." What's the forecast for Monday? The South East will see the most sunshine and highs of up to 25C on Monday, Mr Petagna said. In the other regions, temperatures will be around the high teens and low 20s, which is "near-average" for the time of year, he added. Conditions look "changeable" into next week, with "most areas" having rain at times, the forecaster said. "It does become very warm again in the South East around the middle of the week, so we could see high 20s again around Tuesday, Wednesday in the South East. "But at the same time as that heat builds again briefly in the south and South East, we could see further thundery downpours for a time as well," he said. What is a heatwave? An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.

Yahoo

5 hours ago

• Yahoo

Group of lost walkers helped back to safety by mountain rescue team in Lake District

A GROUP of walkers became stranded in the mist whilst on Mickledore and Scafell Pike. Wasdale Mountain Rescue was called out on June 15 to help the four walkers back to safety. It was reported that the walkers were 'very cold' and were sheltering in the Mountain Rescue stretcher box. The team was assisted by the Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue team. In a post on social media, Wasdale MRT said: "The team was called by Cumbria Police on Sunday about a party of four walkers who were lost in mist, having summited Scafell Pike about twenty minutes earlier. "With difficult mobile phone communications, attempts to make a 'talk off' were unsuccessful. "Another police call shortly afterwards stated that one of the walkers was very cold and could not move and was sheltering in the MRT stretcher box. "With the worst-case scenario being a long and difficult stretcher carry; extra help was requested from Duddon and Furness MRT as the team was slightly low on numbers. "Once on scene, it was found that two of the walkers had descended into Upper Eskdale via Cam Spout but fortunately had realised their error and returned back to within shouting distance of the stretcher box. "The cold walker had also thankfully warmed up with equipment in the stretcher box and was now able to be escorted down under his own steam. "A simple rope system was established to give extra confidence and support to descend safely down Mickledore gully before the long walk back to the valley floor. "Thanks to Duddon and Furness MRT once again and to passing walker, Mick, for providing support before team members arrived."

Yahoo

6 hours ago

• Yahoo

Met Office issues weather latest for Liverpool as heatwave comes to an end

Sizzling temperatures have cooled in Liverpool with the recent heatwave coming to a halt. Glorious sunshine basked over the region for much of the past week, with temperatures climbing to around 30C. It was perfect weather for the many outdoor events which took place in the city this week, including the On the Waterfront festival. But the region saw a change in conditions on Saturday (June 21) with spells of rain, amid a UK warning for thunderstorms which saw parts of the country further north badly hit. The Met Office is forecasting much cooler temperatures over the coming days compared to last week. Highs of 20C are forecast in Liverpool today (Sunday June 22) beginning with cloudy skies. READ MORE: When flying ants will appear as people warned 'keep a close eye on them' READ MORE: NHS shares red flag heatstroke symptom that can be felt in arms, legs and stomach Outbreaks of rain are forecast to sweep through during the afternoon. The air will feel fresher than of late with a strengthening southwesterly wind. Rain is expected to be at its heaviest at around 4pm. Anyone who has been struggling to sleep in the recent heat will welcome the news of cooler overnight temperatures with lows of 13C expected in the city overnight. The Met Office expects Monday to be mostly dry and cloudy with some sunny intervals. The chance of rain is low. Tuesday and Wednesday will see dark clouds in the sky with a higher chance of rain on the former. Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be sunnier but still cloudy, with temperatures reaching highs of 22C. For the latest news and breaking news visit Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you. Follow us on Twitter @LivECHONews - the official Liverpool ECHO Twitter account - real news in real time. We're also on Facebook/theliverpoolecho - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO. Sign up to one of the Liverpool Echo's free daily and weekly newsletters on news, Liverpool FC, Everton FC, what's on and more by clicking here.