Greater Manchester is set to be hotter than the Maldives on Tuesday as the Met Office issues its first 'extreme heat' weather warning. The red warning - the highest alert possible - will be in place across much of England from midnight on Monday to 11.59pm on Tuesday.
Temperatures are expected to reach as high as 35C in Stockport on Tuesday afternoon, surpassing the 31C forecast for the Maldives that same day.
In Rochdale, the Met Office predicts it could get as hot as 34C - four degrees warmer than in The Bahamas. Forecasters had previously issued an amber warning for parts of the UK, but it was upgraded to red today.
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It is predicted that 'exceptional, perhaps record-breaking' temperatures will hit the UK. Experts have warned that the worryingly hot weather could lead to 'widespread impacts on people and infrastructure'.
The warning also comes with a 'danger to life' alert, not limited to those vulnerable to the heat. 'Substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required', according to the Met Office, and disruption is expected on the roads and railways.
The nights on Monday and Tuesday are expected to be extremely warm, especially in urban areas. In Greater Manchester, the mercury is expected to reach 32C on Monday.
On Tuesday, temperatures will climb to 34C in our region. In some parts of the UK, the mercury is expected to hit a record-breaking 40C.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: “If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, now is the time to make sure they’re putting suitable measures in place to be able to cope with the heat because if the forecast is as we think it will be in the red warning area, then people’s lives are at risk. This is a very serious situation.”
Mr Madge said that temperatures reaching 40C would be a “historic event”. “If we get to 40C that’s a very iconic threshold and shows that climate change is with us now,” he said. “This is made much more likely because of climate change.”
Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, added: “Each year, the effects of climate breakdown are becoming more evident and more severe. Without meaningful Government intervention, millions of Brits, particularly older people and young children, will be at increasing risk from health-threatening heatwaves like the one we’re experiencing.”
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