Woman in her 30s dies at Durdle Door beauty spot on hottest day of the year - as government scientists issues alert over 'killer' temperatures

A woman in her 30s has died at a popular coastal beauty spot during the hottest day of the year.
Coastguards, lifeboat crews, and air ambulance and police rushed to the iconic Durdle Door beach in Dorset at around 1pm after receiving reports of a woman in need of urgent medical attention.
Emergency responders carried out CPR on the victim but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
It is not known if the woman had been in the water prior to her dying or had suffered a medical episode on the beach.
The woman's family have been made aware of her death, which is not being treated as suspicious, Dorset Police said.
The tragedy took place on the hottest day of the year so far, as thermometers reached 30.1C at St James's Park in London earlier today.
Amid the scorching temperatures, the Government's UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated a five-day amber heat-health alert from midday today until Monday morning.
There are fears there could be 'a rise in deaths, particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions' and 'significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures'.
A police spokesperson said: 'We received a report at 1.13pm of a woman in need of medical attention at Durdle Door beach.
'Officers attended alongside the ambulance service and HM Coastguard and a cordon was put in place.
'Very sadly the woman, aged in her 30s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her next of kin has been informed.
'Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this very difficult time. The death is not being treated as suspicious. '
Dozens of people ventured to the iconic coastal landmark earlier today as the mercury soared above 30C for the first time this year.
Before today, the warmest day of the year so far had been reached last Friday when temperatures got up to 29.4C (84.9F) at Santon Downham in Suffolk.
That broke the previous record for 2025 which stood at 29.3C (84.7F), recorded on May 1 at Kew Gardens in London.
But records are unlikely to be broken this week for the UK's highest temperature in June, which was 35.6C (96.1F) in Southampton during the historic heatwave of 1976.
The mercury has steadily risen in recent days with highs of 25.2C (77.4F) last Sunday, 26.7C (80.1F) on Monday, 27.9C (82.2F) on Tuesday and 29.3C (84.7F) yesterday.
They could rise further to 32C (90F) this afternoon before similar highs tomorrow and 34C (93F) on Saturday. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and pollen levels will also be high.
Friday and Saturday nights will be uncomfortable for sleeping, with temperatures possibly staying above 20C (68F) in places, which is known as a 'tropical night'.
The heatwave is likely to officially end after Saturday, but the weather from Sunday into the middle of next week will stay warm with a range of 24C (75F) to 26C (79F).

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44 minutes ago

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I visited the World Cup final venue in New York... it is dull and dangerously hot

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There was even a small chance of a tornado. A message emblazoned on the giant screens read: 'Your attention please. For your safety, we are going to have everyone leave the seating bowl area and take shelter inside the stadium because of severe weather in the area. Those on the field, please walk calmly to the nearest tunnel, to the West Hall, or the service corridor.' The delay, with Palmeiras 2-0 up, lasted 50 minutes. Many fans of Al-Ahly – there is a large Egyptian diaspora in the United States and New Jersey in particular – simply decided not to return. There was even a delay to the delay as Taylor could not get his communication equipment to work and then we waited for the broadcasters to be ready. Just 14 minutes later there was a drinks break, the second of the game, but interest among fans had dwindled by then and the game petered away. Is this the kind of football Fifa wants? The first drinks stop came after half an hour with players already being draped in wet towels and handed ice packs. When Taylor announced over the PA system that he was rescinding a red card he had wrongly awarded for a tackle, after a VAR check, the sweat was pouring down his shaved head. Weather cannot be controlled but how will such a delay and an apparent dwindling of interest look for next year's World Cup final? Instead of trying to explain what was going on, the officials spent their time trying to stop journalists live-streaming and checking their accreditations. After all, all Fifa content must be protected, even at the price of preventing information being spread. It was not just the players feeling the heat. There is very little shade inside this enormous roofless bowl for the supporters with those at the vertiginous top also having pretty poor views. Small bottles of water were selling for $5 and Bud Light beer at $14. Hot dogs? They were $8.50 and a pretzel $9 – plus tax. 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When a score arrived it was an own goal headed headed in by Al-Ahly striker Wessam Abou Ali before Palmeiras substitute José Manuel López broke away to add a smartly taken second. At that point, an Egyptian journalist in the press box, wearing a red Al-Ahly shirt and who had been shouting throughout the game, unplugged his phone and walked away in disgust. Even the playing surface at the stadium has been criticised. The MetLife pitch with its synthetic grass is notoriously disliked by the NFL players – with 13 serious injuries suffered in the past five years, including famed quarterback Aaron Rodgers tearing his Achilles, so Fifa installed real turf. But players and coaches at this tournament have not been impressed and right up until kick-off, and then at half-time, four large firemen's hoses were dragged on to drench the pitch. It still quickly dried out. Getting to the MetLife is not easy. The stadium is in East Rutherford, right in the middle of Meadowlands, to the west of New York, near to the highways that lead into the city and the main routes around New Jersey. There is simply nothing else nearby and fans are told not to attempt to walk from local hotels. 'It is illegal and dangerous,' they have been warned in one poster. There are plenty of parking spaces for about $50, but how many fans attending the World Cup will have cars? And, it takes up to two hours to get out of the car parks – longer than the actual game unless there is another weather incident. The Meadowlands rail station, right on the doorstep, is open on match days, although fans were being directed instead to buses at the final whistle and it is a slow journey from Secaucus Junction, where they have to change trains to New York Penn Street. The Palmeiras supporters,who had taken over Brooklyn Bridge, were out in force, smuggling in flags and banners far bigger than those permitted by Fifa and trying to create any atmosphere. But this stadium lacks any character. It just feels a bit drab and grey and unsuitable and has been plonked in the middle of nowhere. It is dull, much like the football played here during this tournament so far. Even though ticket prices had been cut to just $38, huge sections of the stadium – three-quarters of the top tier and even more of the middle one – were closed and taken off sale. It will be different for the World Cup and the latter stages of this competition. Demand will be far higher. But that raises more serious questions, with complaints that the walkways out are too narrow for huge crowds to easily disperse. Maybe it will look differently next year when it is kitted out by Fifa, even if it will be hard to transform a stadium which has been compared to an air conditioning unit in the way it looks and the way it feels. Which, of course, is where we started.

Daily Mail​

an hour ago

• Daily Mail​

Festival goers on the Isle of Wight explore ways to keep cool as heatwave expected to hit highs of 34C this weekend

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The five-day alert which began yesterday warns 'significant impacts are likely' across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a 'rise in deaths', particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions. Temperatures will reach the low 30Cs today and could hit 33C (91F) – with a number of areas expected to have passed the heatwave criteria by this afternoon. An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three days in a row, with thresholds varying from 25C (77F) to 28C (82F) in different areas. Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: 'We're expecting the hot and dry conditions to continue. It does turn a little bit hazier in the west during the course of Friday. From temperatures to sunshine, UK weather records for June The hottest June temperature recorded in the UK is 35.6C, which was reached in Mayflower Park in Southampton on June 28, 1976. The same temperature was also measured in Camden Square in North London on June 29 1957, according to Met Office data. The closest this record has come to being broken in recent years was in 2017, when 34.5C was reached at Heathrow in London on June 21. Last year, temperatures climbed as high as 30.5C at Wisley in Surrey on June 26. The 30C mark has been reached in June somewhere in the UK in eight of the past 10 years, the exceptions being 2016 and 2021. The highest temperature so far this month is 32.2C, which was provisionally measured at Kew in West London yesterday, the Met Office said. Forecasts suggest 30C will be topped again today and across the weekend, as the current hot spell continues. The average warmest June on record was in 2023, when the mean temperature for the UK across the month was 15.8C. This was almost a full degree higher than the previous record of 14.9C, which was set in both 1940 and 1976. 2023 was also the UK's fifth sunniest June on record, with an average of 245.0 hours of sunshine measured during the month. The record for the sunniest June is 265.1 hours, set in 1957. 'We're still expecting temperatures to reach the low 30Cs, 31C, 32C fairly widely, maybe seeing 33C.' He added that increasing amounts of cloud will move in from the West tomorrow, with a chance of showers, some possibly thundery in North Wales and North West England, while eastern areas will see another dry and hot day. Temperatures will be in the low 30Cs, and probably be the peak of the hot spell on Saturday, as 34C (93F) is possible. However this is still below the June record of 35.6C in 1976 in Southampton. The last time Britain reached 34C (93F) in June was almost six years ago on June 29, 2019 in London. Before today, the warmest day of the year so far had been reached last Friday when temperatures got up to 29.4C (84.9F) at Santon Downham in Suffolk. Mr Stroud said Sunday will be another very warm day in the south and east probably in the late 20Cs. Elsewhere it will be cooler, with highs in the mid-20Cs. Temperatures are set to be in the mid-20Cs by the start of next week. Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UKHSA, said: 'Our findings show that heat can result in serious health outcomes across the population, especially for older adults or those with pre-existing health conditions. 'It is therefore important to check on friends, family and neighbours who are more vulnerable and to take sensible precautions while enjoying the sun. 'The forecasted high temperatures may also lead to an increasing demand for remote healthcare services and an impact on the ability of services delivered due to heat effects on the workforce.' Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and pollen levels are also climbing alongside temperatures. Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley warned that parts of the UK are in for 'tropical nights' this weekend. He said: 'The nights will also be quite warm, with the possibility of temperatures not falling below 20C in some areas, making it hard to sleep. This is what we term a 'tropical night'.'. Emma McClarkin, chief executive officer of the British Beer and Pub Association, said sales in some pubs increase almost 20 per cent during hot weather. She said the current heatwave is a 'huge boon for Britain's brewers and pubs'. It comes after a warning was issued as firefighters have responded to more than 500 wildfires across England and Wales this year so far. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said that as of yesterday, 564 wildfire incidents have been responded to by English and Welsh fire and rescue services so far this year. This is a 717 per cent increase on the same period in 2024, and more than double the number seen in 2022 which went on to be the worst year on record for wildfires. The NFCC is now urging caution among members of the public when enjoying the outdoors in a bid to prevent further spikes in incidents. As the drier weather continues and temperatures rise, there are also concerns that the UK will see more wildfires in areas where homes and businesses border rural areas, the NFCC added. The public is also being urged to take care when in, on or around water. Public safety advice issued by the NFCC includes avoiding the use of disposable barbecues in open countryside, parks, and moorland areas and not discarding cigarettes, matches, or glass bottles, as they can ignite dry vegetation. With drier conditions during this time of year meaning that fires can burn into peat, and can burn for longer, it is likely some fires will take a number of days - rather than hours - to extinguish, causing more damage and placing further pressure on fire and rescue services, the NFCC added. Across July 18 and 19 in 2022, the hottest days of that year, 84 wildfires were recorded, and 14 fire and rescue services declared major incidents, nine of which were linked to difficulties in responding due to the increase in operational demand, the NFCC said. Meanwhile, a number of charities have issued warnings about the potential risks of hotter weather. St John Ambulance urged the public to familiarise themselves with the signs of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and to learn how to respond. It comes after a survey of 1,002 adults in England revealed more than half do not know the difference between 'life-threatening' heatstroke, which requires a 999 call, and heat exhaustion, which can be treated by cooling and hydrating a patient. The British Heart Foundation is encouraging people with heart conditions to take precautions such as staying cool and keeping hydrated to minimise potential health risks during a heatwave, saying the heat can put extra strain on the heart. Age UK urged people to check in on older relatives, friends, and neighbours to see if they need anything and to make sure they are not feeling overwhelmed by the excessive heat. Dementia UK issued advice and tips on how to support a loved one with dementia in the heat, including keeping hydrated; staying cool with appropriate clothing; keeping the person out of the heat; cooling the person down by avoiding hot drinks, alcohol and caffeine; and keeping the home environment cool. RAC breakdown spokeswoman person Alice Simpson warned drivers should 'take every precaution' in the heat. 'When temperatures soar, vehicle breakdowns usually do the same,' she said. 'One of the biggest risks is an increase in cars overheating, especially when sat in queues of traffic with no shade.' Ms Simpson urged drivers to check their coolant levels and any air conditioning systems that are not working properly, and to take plenty of water and snacks on the road. People are urged to look after their pets in the heat as well. British Veterinary Association president Dr Elizabeth Mullineaux said: 'Each summer, vets see pets suffering from heat-related problems and illnesses, such as heatstroke, breathing problems, burnt paw pads and sunburn, some of which can sadly be fatal.' She said owners should ensure their animals have access to fresh drinking water, good ventilation and shade, advising dog lovers to avoid taking their pets for walks during the heat of the day and to never leave them inside a car, caravan or conservatory. Tips from the RSPCA include using pet-safe sun cream; ensuring animals have constant access to shade and fresh drinking water at all times; and keeping fish tanks out of direct sunlight. Others are using cold treats from the fridge for added moisture or make an ice lolly for dogs from pet-friendly ingredients; freezing dogs' water bowls; and wrapping an ice pack or frozen water bottle in a tea towel, or use damp towels for pets to lie on.

BBC News

an hour ago

• BBC News

Hot weather warning in Jersey after large open land blaze

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