UK Looks To Have Recorded The Hottest Night On Record

The UK looks set to have recorded the warmest night on record.

During the early hours of Tuesday 19 July, temperatures across the country were still at 25C in some places, beating the previous highest night time temperature of 23.9C.

The Met Office revealed on Twitter: "It has provisionally been the warmest night on record in the UK.

"Temperatures didn't fall below 25°C in places, exceeding the previous highest daily minimum record of 23.9°C, recorded in Brighton on 3rd August 1990."

It comes as the Met Office announced that Wales had provisionally recorded its hottest ever day in history.

The national weather service tweeted: "It's provisionally the hottest day on record in Wales.

"Gogerddan has reached 35.3°C so far today, exceeding the previous record high of 35.2°C, recorded at Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire on 2nd August 1990."

For those not brushed up on their geography, Gogerddan is located near Aberystwyth.

The Met Office issued a red heat warning for England for yesterday (18 July) and today (19 July). Large parts of England have hit the high 30s.

Last week, Penny Endersby, Met Office chief executive, said: "The extreme heat that we're forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented.

"Please treat the warnings we are putting out as seriously as you would a red or amber warning from us for wind or snow and follow the advice.

"Stay out of the sun, keep your home cool, think about adjusting your plans for the warning period."

The existing record for the hottest day on record in the UK is 38.7C, which was recorded in Cambridge on 25 July 2019.

However, the warning which comes to an end on Wednesday, may not be it for these temperatures, as a professor has claimed that the UK's current heatwave will be commonplace in the future.

Bill McGuire has issued a warning that we should all get used to this situation.

The professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at UCL and climate activist has written an op-ed for The Guardian explaining how the future looks pretty bleak.

"When our children are our age, they will yearn for a summer as 'cool' as 2022, because long before the century’s end, 40C-plus heat will be nothing to write home about in the climate-mangled world they inherit," he warned.

Prof. McGuire added: "The brutal truth is that dodging dangerous, all-pervasive, climate breakdown is now practically impossible.

"Even if all the promises and pledges made at Cop26 were kept, we would still be lucky to stay below a 2C rise, and if tipping points are crossed and feedbacks kick in, the figure could be much higher."

You can read more on his predictions here.