Scotland could cross the heatwave threshold next week as temperatures are forecasted to soar to 26C.
A 10-day-long scorcher will hit the whole of the UK by Friday, with temperatures elsewhere rocketing up to around 35C. With Saturday expected to be the hottest day for Scots, concern has been raised over wildfires and wildlife during the scorcher.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said temperatures are nine to ten degrees above average already for August, which is normally 21.5 in southern England and 17C in Scotland, reports the Mirror.
He said: “There is a likely chance we will be seeing heatwave areas across a number of areas. Temperatures are definitely well above our average. Science has pointed us towards these hot periods becoming more frequent with climate change. We’ve already seen this in July and now we have a notable one in August as well.
“This one would be seen as quite the event of the year, if we’d not already seen temperatures like we did in July. The second half of this week will see heatwaves fairly widely across southern England and potential for eastern areas too. Scotland might even make heatwave threshold of 25C.”
He said on Monday it will be 29C pushing towards 30C on Wednesday while in the north west temperatures could reach 28C on Thursday. He said by Friday and Saturday temperatures will get higher again and be around 33C and 34C.
“But there is a 40 percent chance of seeing temperatures above 35C. It’s a reasonable chance,” he said.
Britain faces the driest period since the summer of 1976, with the south of England in particular having already suffered the driest July since records began in 1836. Ex EA boss, Dave Throup, pointed out “dry stubble” in the fields and said: “Next week a real concern for wildfires.”
Environment Agency boss, John Curtin, tweeted: “In these conditions we can see aquatic wildlife in distress” and urged the public to report it if they say fish dying or gasping for air.
There are also fears for Britain’s struggling hedgehog population which has plunged from fifty million to less than 900,000 during the last few decades. Although experts fear the nation’s drought conditions and looming nationwide hosepipe bans will create even more of an ideal environment for wasps to multiply and swarm.
Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, has criticised water companies for taking action too late.
He said: “Every year we get to this perilous position and at the last possible moment, when the rivers are at their lowest, we get discussion of temporary use bans. Announcing it at the last minute causes people to rush to wash their cars and fill their paddling pools, wash the dog, and causes an increase in demand before the ban comes in.
“This should happen before the rivers come to a desperate condition and there’s not enough water for wildlife. ”
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