Thousands of Mancs hit the pubs and parks today to enjoy the heatwave. Temperatures rose to around 30C across the sun-soaked region this afternoon.
It comes as the Met Office issued an 'extreme heat' warning for Greater Manchester and large parts of England this Sunday. While tomorrow might feel slightly cooler with highs of 24C, the hot weather is due to return in time for the weekend.
But for many of Manchester’s residents, the sunshine is a nice break from the rain. Guy Purser, 25, who works in Lono Cove tiki bar in Northern Quarter, enjoys the weather and likes to be outdoors in a beer garden or with a good book
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He said: “It’s hot and not raining and it reminds me of not being in England and it’s hot and it’s sunny. I like to read my book in the sun, I really do. It’s the best way to do it.
"When it’s like this I just like to be abroad. But give it another week, they say it will be hotter, it won’t, it will just p*** it down.”
When asked about the extreme weather warnings for next week, Guy explained that he doesn’t think they are truly extreme, saying: “What’s so extreme? What’s going to happen?
“You know when it was extreme weather? When it was slightly snowy, Canadian’s are looking at us like: ‘what a bunch of wet lettuces’, like put your boots on and get to work.
“Oh there’s a bit of snow, no one goes to school anymore. It’s not an extreme weather warning, we’re not in Qatar. They build stadiums in Qatar in the summer, you can still go to work in this.
“I’m all up for it, I can wear a bikini then.”
Guy’s friend and colleague, Alex Haggart, 22, believes that cities in England aren’t prepared for the ‘extreme weather’ that’s been forecast, he said: “We’re not built for hot weather, there’s not air con in every building.”
Adding: “It reminds me of holidays, but if I’m working, at least it’s air conned in there, it’s cooler inside than outside. I haven’t even looked at the weather to be honest. But I’ll take it.”
John Usherwood travelled from Holland to see the three group games of the UEFA Women’s Euros. He and his group were enjoying the sunshine in Exchange Square, however were worried about the impact of the heat on the games. He said: “We are on holiday, we have air con in our hotel in Sheffield so it’s alright.
“[The heat] is not good for football. It’s not good because the players struggle with it, they have to drink more and they’ll play slower. It’s not nice.”
He added: “They think maybe it will be 45 degrees next week in Holland so that’s for us, very, very hot!”
Jeute Van Luarhoven, who was also visiting from Holland, added: “Especially if you have to work, it's very hot.” For this group, Manchester’s hottest day is a cool break from the heat awaiting them back home.
However, for Susan, who asked to be referred to by her first name only, the heat and sunshine are an excellent excuse to enjoy a gin and tonic.
She said: “It’s nice when you don’t have to work! We won’t be out very long, we’ll go back out and have a gin and tonic and then back in. We’ll sit and have a drink but I’ll sit in the shady bit.
However, Susan shared Jeute’s worries about working in the heat and said: “It’s working in it that’s not good, I work in a supermarket for 10-hour shifts. But luckily I work in the fridges.
“It’s lovely when you don’t have to work. We’re just been out for a curry. It’s lovely to eat it but I wouldn’t want to serve it!”
Hannah Porter, 20, who also works in Lono Cove bar and was out enjoying food and drinks at Wolf at the Door with Callum Davey and Jake Oliver, both 20, said: “I’ve been loving it, but the thing is, I don’t want to work, I just want to be in the sunshine.
“I was working yesterday and everyone was having drinks outside and you’re giving them drinks, it’s just sad.
“It makes everyone feel happier though, doesn’t it? Like seasonal depression is a thing and sunshine just makes everyone feel better. Callum added: “Especially when you’re working the weekend and then it’s nice on the weekend.”
Hannah explained that today’s temperatures of around 28 degrees were her limit, saying: “It’s English heat, isn’t it? It’s humid.
However, Jake said: “I’m quite looking forward to it. It’s better than rain and it’s normally raining.
With Callum agreeing: “90 percent of the time it’s miserable and raining. So when it is hot, you’ve got to enjoy it. I feel like everyone’s happier when it’s sunny too.”
However, Hannah also had concerns about wearing weather appropriate clothing in the heat. She said: “Being a girl right, even today wearing shorts, I felt like everyone was looking at me. There’s weirdos around Manchester and it’s a lot.”
Adding, that when she sees men with their tops off that she finds it ‘unfair’: “If you can, why can’t we, what’s the difference between having two lumps of fat on your top.”
A spokesperson for the Met Office said: "Population-wide adverse health effects are likely to be experienced, not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to potential serious illness or danger to life. Government advice is that 999 services should be used in emergencies only; seek advice from 111 if you need non-emergency health advice.
"Substantial changes in working practices and daily routines likely to be required. Significantly more people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers leading to increased risk of water safety incidents.
"Delays on roads and road closures are possible, along with delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, with potential for significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays." Despite the warning, temperatures in Manchester are currently forecast to be cooler on Sunday than today, with highs of 27C being predicted by the Met Office so far.
According to the Met Office, London is currently expected to see highs of 32C on Sunday, while Birmingham and Norwich could see highs of 31C.
Get more news for Greater Manchester here
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