This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/25/thunderstorms-and-flash-floods-forecast-for-some-areas-of-uk

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Thunderstorms and flash floods forecast for some areas of UK Friday could be Britain's hottest day on record, forecasters warn
(about 4 hours later)
The hot weather in the UK could trigger severe thunderstorms across parts of the country this week, while it has also led to train speed restrictions, emergency services warning about field fires and a record number of people seeking heatstroke advice from the NHS online. Friday could be the UK’s hottest day on record, forecasters have warned, adding that Thursday was unlikely to be much cooler, as the extended heatwave that has hit the country continues.
Temperatures are forecast to hit 37C (98.6F) on Friday, and the Met Office said the UK’s all-time record of 38.5C, set in August 2003, might be broken. The Met Office predicted temperatures in the south-east of England as high as 37C on Friday – in places potentially even surpassing the previous all-time high of 38.5C – and only a couple of degrees cooler on Thursday.
Thunderstorm warnings are in place for parts of northern and eastern England and the Midlands for Friday, when as much as 30mm of rain is expected to fall in an hour in some areas, with the possibility of flash floods, lightning strikes, hail and strong winds. The lengthy hot and dry spell, which has particularly affected eastern England, is likely to be broken by thunderstorms towards the end of the week that could bring rainfall of as much as 30mm (1.18in) in an hour, forecasters said.
Paul Gundersen, the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, said: “The heatwave conditions will continue across much of England, with temperatures into the mid to high-30s celsius in many places from the Midlands eastwards on Thursday and Friday.” While many have enjoyed the weather, there were warnings on Wednesday to avoid “careless and reckless” behaviour as emergency services across the country deal with grass fires in the aftermath of the major incident on moorland to the east of Manchester. The NHS said demand for online health advice through its NHS Choices service in July had increased 450% year-on-year.
Fears that tracks will buckle have led to speed restrictions on Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia and Northern lines. Cutting the speed of trains reduces the force they exert on the track. “The heatwave conditions will continue across much of England, with temperatures into the mid to high 30s Celsius in many places from the Midlands eastwards on Thursday and Friday and it’s possible that we could break the all-time UK record of 38.5° C if conditions all come together,” said the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, Paul Gundersen.
A dry and muggy night is forecast on Wednesday, with some mist and fog north of the Wash.
Thursday is expected to be hot, with temperatures reaching as high as 35C in southerly areas and 26C in the north. Thunderstorms could develop all over eastern England later in the day.
Friday and the weekend are likely to remain hot, if a little cooler, and there will be the continued risk of thunderstorms on Friday and further rainfall during the weekend.
A dry night is expected on Wednesday, with temperatures not falling below 14C in southerly areas, and 11C in northerly.
It is forecast to be hot throughout on Thursday, with maximum temperatures between 31 and 32C, though thunderstorms could hit the Pennines and there could be some hazy weather to the south.
Friday and the weekend will likely still be sunny, though it could be a little cooler and with the risk of rain persisting.
Wednesday night is likely to be dry and warm, with temperatures not falling below 10C.
Thursday is forecast to be sunny and hottest in easterly areas, where temperatures could get as high as 30C. Westerly areas are still likely to be warm, but should see light winds.
Friday and the weekend are not expected be as hot and there is a risk of showers, turning into persistent rain on Sunday.
A largely fine evening on Wednesday, though the weather could turn a little chilly in rural areas.
Thursday is likely to be very warm, with temperatures in the mid-20s throughout Scotland – barring Orkney and Shetland.
The weekend is likely to bring rain throughout the country as it wears on.
Slightly cooler than most of the rest of the country on Wednesday night, with a minimum temperature of 9C and some cloud to the west.
Thursday will be dry and sunny, especially in the east, while that westerly cloud could bring rain. The maximum temperature is predicted to be 25C.
Friday and the weekend are likely to see outbreaks of showery rain, interspersed with some cloudy and some sunny weather.
“There is the chance of thunderstorms breaking out over some eastern parts of England on Thursday, but it is Friday when we see intense thunderstorms affecting many central and eastern areas,” Gundersen added.
“While many places will remain dry and hot, the thunderstorms on Friday could lead to torrential downpours in places with as much as 30mm of rainfall in an hour and 60mm [2.36in] in three hours. Large hail and strong, gusty winds are also likely and combined could lead to difficult driving conditions as a result of spray and sudden flooding.”
The Met Office issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms, its second most severe, covering the whole of eastern England from the Scottish border to Bedfordshire, excepting East Anglia and the southern part of the Wash from 2pm to the end of Friday.
The highest temperature on record in the UK is 38.5C, which was observed at Faversham in August 2003. This year’s hottest day so far was Monday, when Santon Downham in Suffolk saw temperatures of 33.3C – a little more than a degree less than 2017’s highest.
Fears that tracks will buckle led to speed restrictions on Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia and Northern lines on Wednesday. Cutting the speed of trains reduces the force they exert on the track.
A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: “On very sunny days, rails in direct sunshine can be as much as 20C above air temperature, causing the steel to expand markedly.A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: “On very sunny days, rails in direct sunshine can be as much as 20C above air temperature, causing the steel to expand markedly.
“Our engineers and specialist extreme weather teams are monitoring trackside temperatures and vulnerable locations and will, if necessary, introduce temporary speed restrictions during the hottest part of the day to keep trains running, albeit more slowly than normal.”“Our engineers and specialist extreme weather teams are monitoring trackside temperatures and vulnerable locations and will, if necessary, introduce temporary speed restrictions during the hottest part of the day to keep trains running, albeit more slowly than normal.”
Many journeys on the UK’s motorway network are also taking as much as half an hour longer. Many journeys on the UK’s motorway network were also taking as much as half an hour longer.
“Summer is always a busy time for breakdowns and we tend to see a lot of tyre problems, overheating engines and keys locked in cars,” an AA spokesperson said.“Summer is always a busy time for breakdowns and we tend to see a lot of tyre problems, overheating engines and keys locked in cars,” an AA spokesperson said.
In London, where fire crews have already attended six times as many large grass fires this year as in the whole of 2017, more than 260 firefighters dealt with blazes on Monday night. In London, the mayor, Sadiq Khan, issued a “high air pollution alert” for today, as rising temperatures combine with pollution from the continent to create dangerous conditions.
Tom George, the deputy commissioner and director of operations for London Fire Brigade, said the force was “fed up of politely asking people to take care”. Adults and children with lung problems, as well as adults with heart problems, were advised to reduce their physical activity.
“There hasn’t been any rain for several weeks and I’ve never seen London looking so parched. All it takes is one act of stupidity and the whole lot can go up in minutes,” he said. Last week, the Guardian reported a spike in asthma deaths due in part to the pollution crisis and doctors have said anyone with the condition may need to use their inhalers more often.
South Yorkshire fire teams received more than 500 calls between Monday and Wednesday morning, one of which concerned a large grass fire in Denaby, Doncaster.
There have been 230,611 visits to the NHS’s online heatstroke advice page in July, more than four times as many as in the same month last year.
People have also sought information about heat rash, sunburn and hay fever as an amber heat health watch warning remains in place for parts of England, which suggests people stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm.
WeatherWeather
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content