At least six people were reported to have drowned across the UK in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off. 9News
has shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered on Tuesday, topping 40C for the first time as the national weather forecaster predicted it would get hotter still in a country ill prepared for such extremes.
One of the blazes, a grass fire in Wennington on the eastern edge of the city, is being tackled by 100 firefighters.The Met Office weather bureau said London's Heathrow Airport hit 40.2C at 12.50pm on Tuesday after Charlwood in Surrey had earlier broken the country's previous record when it reached 39.1C before midday."Temperatures are likely to rise further through today," the bureau said.
On Tuesday, a man in his 20s was pulled from Cotswold Water Park, Ashton Keynes, but couldn't be revived, as police responded to a "serious and ongoing incident" near Clacton Pier in Essex. Images of flames racing toward a French beach and Britons sweltering — even at the seaside — have driven home concerns about climate change.The Met Office said provisional figures showed the temperature remained above 25C overnight in parts of the country for the first time.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Britain's transport infrastructure, some of it dating from Victorian times, "just wasn't built to withstand this type of temperature — and it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could". In the Gironde region of south-western France, ferocious bushfires continued to spread through tinder-dry pines forests, frustrating firefighting efforts by more than 2000 firefighters and water-bombing planes.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
UK records hottest ever day as temperature hits 40C by lunchAt least six people were reported to have drowned across the UK in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off. 9News
Read more »
Extreme UK weather live: hottest day on record as temperature passes 40C for first timeLondon Heathrow records hottest ever temperature after Met Office says UK provisionally had its warmest night
Read more »
Extreme UK weather live: hottest night ever as temperatures could reach record 41C on TuesdayMet Office says UK provisionally had its warmest night on record as UK braces for hottest day ever
Read more »
The terrifying truth: Britain’s a hothouse, but one day 40C will seem cool | Bill McGuireThis extreme heat is just the beginning. We should be scared – and channel this emotion into action, says academic Bill McGuire
Read more »
The terrifying truth: Britain’s a hothouse, but one day 40C will seem cool | Bill McGuireThis extreme heat is just the beginning. We should be scared – and channel this emotion into action, says academic Bill McGuire
Read more »
‘Fandemonium’: Britons swelter as heatwave approaches record 40CBritain has suffered through a “red alert” heatwave with temperatures set to hit 40C and airport runways melting in the heat as the government warned people to stay home.
Read more »