Some UK schools to close amid extreme heat warnings
Dozens of British schools have been forced to close and transport bosses have warned people against all but essential travel amid rare red alerts over extreme temperatures predicted to reach record levels in June.
The Met Office said a “heat dome” forming over Western Europe could see temperatures rise to 40 degrees in parts of England and Wales by midweek.
The latest heatwave temperatures are expected to exceed the June record set in Hampshire in 1976 by several degrees and approach the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C in July 2022.
The forecaster warned that the warm conditions, so far rare in the UK, will be accompanied by high humidity and very hot nights, making it difficult for people to recover overnight.
A red weather warning for extreme temperatures has been issued by the Met Office from 9am on Wednesday until 9pm on Thursday, covering an area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham.
The Met Office said the heatwave was expected to bring “serious and significant impacts”, including widespread health risks, for many people, not just those normally more vulnerable to the heat, and was even expected to endanger lives.
Many schools in England and Wales have announced they will close or finish early to protect pupils from extreme heat.
Buckingham School in Buckinghamshire said it would be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
“As many of our buildings are not adequately cooled and there is little shade outside, we have made the difficult decision to close the school grounds on both days (Wednesday and Thursday),” a statement on the website said. The statement was included.
Advice was also issued to transport users, with Network Rail warning passengers should “only travel if absolutely necessary on Wednesdays and Thursdays”.
Network Rail deputy managing director Jake Kelly said: “Extreme heat can have a significant impact on the railway, so safety must come first.”
“We ask travelers to check before traveling on Tuesday and only travel if absolutely necessary on Wednesday and Thursday if they are going into, out of or heading to a red warning zone as temperatures are expected to peak.”
The UK Health Safety Agency has issued a red health alert for six regions of England – West Midlands, East Midlands, South East, South West, London and the east of England – from 1am on Wednesday until 11pm on Thursday.
This suggests a “risk to life even for healthy populations” as well as impacts beyond health and social care, with potential impacts on transport systems, food, water, energy supplies and businesses.
Transport for London has warned customers about possible disruptions to rail and tube services, saying rail temperatures could lead to temporary speed restrictions and reduced services.
“Customers should be aware that we are likely to see some disruption to rail and tube services, given the very high temperatures forecast; rail temperatures are likely to lead to temporary speed restrictions and therefore reduced services in some cases,” TfL’s chief operating officer Claire Mann said.
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