Latest news with #NicolaMaxey
The Independent
4 hours ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Heatwaves declared across England and Wales with higher temperatures to come
Heatwaves have been triggered across England and Wales with even higher temperatures expected over the weekend. But Friday was not the warmest day of the year so far, with highs of 30.8C recorded in both nations, the Met Office confirmed. It comes as thunderstorms are threatening to hit large parts of northern England on Saturday. Temperatures could reach up to 34C in isolated areas of England, but rain, hail and lightning could be on their way, a Met Office spokesperson said. 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. 'Many places' in England and 'one or two areas' in Wales, including Cardiff, have now entered a heatwave following Friday's highest temperatures, Becky Mitchell, meteorologist at the Met Office, said. While the national record for this year was not broken, Friday was the hottest day of the year so far for Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. A yellow thunderstorm weather warning has been issued covering Nottingham up to above Newcastle, running from 3pm on Saturday until 4am on Sunday. The Met Office warned the most intense storms could produce 'frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds', along with a chance of flooding. Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: 'There are scattered thunderstorms coming through. 'Some of the rain could be quite intense, and frequent lightning, hail, gusty winds and some heavy downpours, which we haven't seen for a while. 'Some of the ground is quite hard at the moment, and when you get heavy rain hitting hard ground, it can cause surface water issues. 'You might find surface water on the roads, drains finding it difficult to cope and a small chance of homes being flooded.' Temperatures are predicted to peak on the western side of the country on Friday, as a 'more changeable, fresher feel' starts to come in. Ms Maxey said: 'Tomorrow, temperatures may continue to go up a little for the east and south-east area of the country, we might see them creep up to 33C, or even an isolated 34C, but we are going to see that change. 'In the west, tomorrow we should start to see more of this cloud come in, and we have a fresher air mass pushing in across the country.' Temperatures reached 32.2C in Kew, west London, on Thursday, amid an amber heat-health alert for all regions in England. The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday. It 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. Following the hot weather, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has urged the public to take heat and water safety seriously. During 2022's heatwave, temperatures rose past 40C, leading to 320 people being treated in hospital. Steve Cole, policy director at RoSPA, said: 'Heat is no longer just a holiday perk — it's a growing public health risk. 'We're seeing more frequent and intense heatwaves, both in the UK and globally, and the data shows a clear rise in heat-related illness and fatalities. 'Warm weather can also be deceptive when it comes to going for a dip. 'While the air may feel hot, water temperatures often remain dangerously cold, which can lead to cold-water shock, even in summer.'
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Thunderstorm risk for northern England after hot weather
Large parts of northern England could be hit with thunderstorms on Saturday after the hot weather that has spread across the country. Temperatures could reach up to 34C (93.2) in isolated areas of England, but some places might be hit by rain, hail and lightning, the Met Office has said. A yellow thunderstorm weather warning is in place, running from 3pm on Saturday until 4am on Sunday, covering a large area stretching from Nottingham to north of Newcastle. The Met Office said the most intense storms could produce 'frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds'. It said there might be a chance of flooding, with the ground hardened from a spell of dry weather. It comes as a number of areas around the country could reach heatwave thresholds on Friday, if high temperatures are recorded for a third consecutive day. Met Office spokesperson Nicola Maxey said: 'There are scattered thunderstorms coming through. Some of the rain could be quite intense, and frequent lightning, hail, gusty winds and some heavy downpours, which we haven't seen for a while. 'Some of the ground is quite hard at the moment, and when you get heavy rain hitting hard ground, it can cause surface water issues. You might find surface water on the roads, drains finding it difficult to cope and a small chance of homes being flooded.' 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. Temperatures reached 32.2C in Kew, west London, on Thursday, with an amber heat-health alert in place for all regions in England. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Issued by the UK Health Security Agency for the first time since September 2023, it will remain in place until 9am on Monday. It says 'significant impacts are likely' across health and social care services because of high temperatures. During 2022's heatwave, when temperatures rose past 40C, 320 people were hospitalised. Steve Cole, policy director at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: 'Heat is no longer just a holiday perk – it's a growing public health risk. 'We're seeing more frequent and intense heatwaves, both in the UK and globally, and the data shows a clear rise in heat-related illness and fatalities.' Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather across the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters, from heatwaves to floods to wildfires.
The Independent
11 hours ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Warning issued for thunderstorms in north of England after possible heatwaves
Thunderstorms are threatening to hit large parts of northern England on Saturday, following possible heatwaves around the country. Temperatures could reach up to 34C in isolated areas of England, but rain, hail and lightning could be on their way, a Met Office spokesperson has said. A yellow thunderstorm weather warning has been issued covering Nottingham up to above Newcastle, running from 3pm on Saturday until 4am on Sunday. The Met Office warned the most intense storms could produce 'frequent lightning, large hail and gusty winds', along with a chance of flooding. It comes as a number of areas around the country could reach heatwave thresholds on Friday. Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: 'There are scattered thunderstorms coming through. 'Some of the rain could be quite intense, and frequent lightning, hail, gusty winds and some heavy downpours, which we haven't seen for a while. 'Some of the ground is quite hard at the moment, and when you get heavy rain hitting hard ground, it can cause surface water issues. 'You might find surface water on the roads, drains finding it difficult to cope and a small chance of homes being flooded.' Ms Maxey said a number of areas around the country could hit heatwave thresholds on Friday before the storm hits. 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. 'We have a number of sites which have reached two days, so we're waiting to see what happens,' she said. 'Today is going to be another warm day, so the possibility is there. 'At the moment, there's one site that has reached three days, and that's in Suffolk.' Temperatures are predicted to peak on the western side of the country on Friday, as a 'more changeable, fresher feel' starts to come in. 'Tomorrow, temperatures may continue to go up a little for the east and south-east area of the country, we might see them creep up to 33C, or even an isolated 34C, but we are going to see that change. 'In the west, tomorrow we should start to see more of this cloud come in, and we have a fresher air mass pushing in across the country.' Temperatures reached 32.2C in Kew, west London, on Thursday, amid an amber heat-health alert for all regions in England. The alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, is in force until 9am on Monday. It 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. Following the hot weather, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has urged the public to take heat and water safety seriously. During 2022's heatwave, temperatures rose past 40C, leading to 320 hospitalisations. Steve Cole, policy director at RoSPA, said: ' Heat is no longer just a holiday perk — it's a growing public health risk. We're seeing more frequent and intense heatwaves, both in the UK and globally, and the data shows a clear rise in heat-related illness and fatalities. 'Warm weather can also be deceptive when it comes to going for a dip. While the air may feel hot, water temperatures often remain dangerously cold, which can lead to cold-water shock, even in summer.'
The Guardian
01-06-2025
- Climate
- The Guardian
UK twice as likely to have hot summer this year, says Met Office
The UK is twice as likely as usual to have a hot summer this year, the Met Office has predicted, warning that there is also an increased risk of heatwaves. The predictions follow the country's sunniest spring on record, with the UK clocking up 630 hours of sunshine since the start of March, in what has also been the driest spring for more than a century. Temperatures soared to 8C above the average for the time of year on Saturday – the last day of meteorological spring – before a potentially hot summer season. Heathrow, in west London, experienced the hottest weather on Saturday, at 26.7C, while levels of grass pollen were very high in the south-east of England. The Met Office said: 'While the current three-month outlook shows an increased chance of a hot summer, the temperature signals for this summer are similar to those for recent years and consistent with our warming climate.' The predictions come from the Met Office's three-month outlook for June, July and August, which provides risk assessments for unusual temperatures, rainfall and wind for government contingency planners and businesses. It is based on an assessment of broad weather patterns across the whole of the UK and factors in recent global weather trends. Nicola Maxey, a spokesperson for the Met Office, said: 'It's not produced as a public forecast for people to look at and work out whether we can have a barbecue in August or a garden party in July. 'At this time of year, global signals influencing UK weather are typically weak,' she added. 'However, consistent with our warming climate and as we have seen over recent years, the current outlook indicates an increased likelihood of above-average temperatures this summer. This is not a guarantee of prolonged hot weather or heatwaves; while we could see more hot days and warm nights than usual, we could also see a mix of cooler days and less extreme warmth.' The outlook shows it is 2.3 times more likely than normal that the UK will be hot over meteorological summer, which begins on 1 June and ends on 31 August. The average temperatures across the UK over those months range from 10-17C, with the south-east of England experiencing the higher averages of 16-17C. This would be in line with a recent trend of unusually hot summers. The last time the UK experienced a 'cool' summer was in 2015. The ongoing extreme marine heatwave in north-west European waters – sea surface temperatures around UK coastlines are 1.5-2.5C warmer than average – may further boost temperatures, although the added warmth and moisture in the air could potentially lead to more intense summer storms. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The latest outlook also shows the levels of rainfall and wind speed for the next three months are likely to be near average. Many water companies will be hoping for a wet summer to help avoid the need for water usage restrictions. This week, the Environment Agency declared drought status for the north-west of England following the driest start to spring in 69 years, with many reservoirs in the region at historic low levels for the time of year. Summers in the UK have become warmer, wetter and sunnier in recent decades due to climate change, according to the Met Office's State of the UK Climate report. Observations show that extremes of temperature in the UK have been affected much more than average temperature. The number of 'hot' days (28C) more than doubled and 'very hot' days (30C) more than tripled for 2014-23 compared with 1961-90. Extreme weather events such as the 2022 heatwave, when temperatures in England surpassed 40C for the first time, were made more likely by climate change and are expected to become more common in future.
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
UK weather: Mercury to hit 30C earlier in 2025 than ever before in history says Met Office
With the Met Office predicting highs of 29C on Thursday, Brits could see the temperature reaching 30C at the earliest point in the year since the forecaster's temperature records began back in 1860 As Brits embrace warm and sunny spring weather, temperatures could hit 30C at the earliest point since Met Office records began, the forecaster has said. Currently, highs of 29C are forecast for Thursday at the peak of the warm spell, but warm temperatures on Wednesday could see the 76-year record for the highest April temperature broken. The last record was set in 1949 when temperatures in Camden Square, London, peaked at 19.4C on April 16. Much of southern and central England and Wales are forecast highs of 24C to 26C on Thursday, with the Met Office predicting that highs of 29C could be possible. If temperatures exceed this and reach 30C, which the forecaster has said could happen, then it would be the earliest point in the year that the mercury has reached 30C since Met Office temperature records began in 1860. If temperatures exceed 32C then the record for the highest May temperature will be broken on the first of the month - with the existing record standing at 32.8C on May 22, 1922, in Camden Square. Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "It is not particularly unusual to see warm and sunny periods in April where temperatures reach the mid-20s. This has occurred as recently as 2018 and 2019, for example. "However, it is more unusual to see temperatures reach the high-20s, and if we see 30C this week, it will be the earliest point in the year in which we have achieved that threshold." Nicola Maxey, Met Office press officer, said: "As high temperature continues to dominate the UK weather we will see the temperatures building day on day through the week with Thursday seeing the peak of the heat with 29C or even a chance we could see 30C. Friday temperatures will start to dip across much of the UK as the high pressure starts to pull away." The latest weather maps show temperatures peaking at 26C in London and the south east of England on Thursday, with warm weather spread across much of England and Wales. Brits from Southampton up as far north as Newcastle will enjoy warm sunshine on Thursday as temperatures are forecast to range from the low to mid-20s and predictions of 29C from the Met Office. But one region is set to miss out on the best of the weather before things start to cool down again. Those in the south west of the country, mainly Cornwall but also parts of Devon, will see highs of just 16C on Thursday at 3pm, while areas in the Pennines and Scottish borders are set for just 14C. Chief Meterologist Jason Kelly said: "Thursday looks set to be the warmest day of the week, with temperatures climbing notably above the seasonal average. Overnight temperatures will also be very high in places. "It's possible national and station records for daytime and overnight temperatures may be broken, but it's unclear at this point whether heatwave criteria will be reached; if this happens, it is most likely in some of the lower category areas which require temperatures to reach 25C or above for three consecutive days. The far north will always see cooler conditions, with these more seasonal temperatures likely spreading erratically south later in the week.' The current Met Office forecast for Thursday to Saturday, marking the start of May, reads: "A very warm and sunny day on Thursday. An increased risk of some heavy showers or thunderstorms from Friday, otherwise dry and bright for most. Turning cooler by the weekend." In a tweet, the Met Office explained the unseasonably warm weather, saying: "A broad area of high pressure is currently positioned over the UK, leading to sinking air that warms as it descends. Combined with prolonged sunshine, this is expected to push temperatures up to 29C in southern areas by Thursday."
