The UK’s highest June temperature was surpassed for the third day in a row as the record-breaking heatwave peaked at 37.3C.
Friday was confirmed by the Met Office as the UK’s hottest June day on record, with a provisional temperature of 37.3C recorded in Santon Downham, Suffolk, surpassing the high of 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, on Thursday.
These smashed the long-standing record for June heat, which dates back to the summer of 1976, by more than 1C, which is significant given such records were usually broken only by a fraction of a degree in the past.
Scientists warned on Friday that the current heatwave would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, with human-driven climate change fuelling more intense and frequent extreme heat events.
Health chiefs warned of the impact the conditions are having on services this week as they face significantly more life-threatening emergency calls.
Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said: “Today marks the peak of the heatwave in terms of temperatures and the third consecutive day of record-breaking June heat.
“This exceptional heat has been unprecedented for June and is another marker on how climate change is shifting the dial on temperature extremes in the UK.”
Schools and nurseries have been forced to close and a hosepipe ban has been brought in for Kent amid surging demand.
There were at least 571 schools either fully or partially closed because of the heat, including in Somerset, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, West Berks and Worcestershire.
Several hospitals have declared critical incidents, with University Hospital Southampton being forced to cancel a number of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.
Train passengers were urged to avoid non-essential travel across much of England on Friday, with Network Rail saying services operating in the Met Office’s red and amber zones should only be used “if absolutely necessary”.
The M5 was closed in both directions between J22 and J23 in Somerset because of a fault with National Grid infrastructure on Friday afternoon, causing “severe delays” of two hours, National Highways said.
Sheffield’s tram network was also suspended on Friday afternoon because of the extreme heat.
The AA said its patrols had recorded almost one third (30%) more breakdowns than on a normal Friday, adding that the heat was “taking its toll, particularly on older vehicles and those that haven’t been serviced”.
Some tourist attractions shut early or did not open on Friday, with Stonehenge moving its last entry forward “to ensure the safety of our visitors and staff”, while Marwell Zoo in Hampshire was closed completely.
Courts were also affected, with the cells at Bristol Crown Court closed because of the heat and defendants moved to Bristol Magistrates’ Court where it was thought to be cooler.
The sentencing of six defendants for a firearms conspiracy – including one of Pc Sharon Beshenivsky’s killers, Faisal Razzaq – could not go ahead on Friday because the dock at newly-refurbished Harrow Crown Court was too hot.
The Met Office extended its red warning of extreme heat until 9pm on Friday for London and parts of east and south-east England, stretching across Oxfordshire and Bedfordshire, Hampshire and Kent – the first time it has issued red heat warnings over three consecutive days.
An amber heat warning of extreme heat is in place for a wider area on Friday, running to midnight and taking in the East Midlands, East of England, North West, South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.
Met Office chief forecaster Mr Page said: “The UK is seeing a gradual shift in conditions over the weekend, with those to the south east of England retaining the warmth the longest, where an amber extreme heat warning remains in force through much of Saturday, though peaks are more likely to be in the low 30s.”
A warning of thunderstorms and heavy rain is in place across most of Scotland after days of hot weather.
The Met Office yellow warning covers the country apart from Shetland and is in place until 3am on Saturday.
There is a further yellow warning of thunderstorms in the North East until 9pm on Friday.
The current heatwave is driven by a “heat-dome” – an area of high pressure that stalls over a region and traps heat – settling over western Europe and bringing extreme conditions across the continent.
This has been compounded by human-driven climate change, mostly caused by burning fossil fuels, which is making such extreme heatwaves more frequent and intense.
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