Britain is entering into 'scary' uncharted waters as a second heatwave this year sweeps the country, the UK's chief meteorologist has warned.
Met Office boss Paul Davies says that 35C heatwaves such as the current one could now occur once every five years and annually by the end of the century, while the record-breaking 40C experienced last month, which caused widespread fires and travel disruption, could hit the UK every three years in 77 years.
“That’s a staggering number,” Mr Davies, a world-leading expert in meteorology, told The Mirror. “When I started out as a forecaster, if someone had said in your lifetime you’ll see 40 degrees, I’d have said; ‘No, surely not!’. We are in uncharted waters. We’re entering areas we’ve never experienced before and it’s not just the UK, it’s the planet as a whole.”
Firefighters have again been battling blazes across the country and millions more people face a hosepipe ban. The Met Office has issued an amber “extreme heat” until Sunday as the UK Health and Security Agency issued a level three heat-health alert and the AA warned tyres could blow out on motorways.
And to those still denying climate change, the Met boss said: “Look at the evidence. All the scientists of this planet – all agreeing – that it is happening. You’re seeing the evidence. That was a wake-up call for people – experiencing those temperatures.”
Two years ago, the UK Met Office mocked-up a future weather forecast for July 2050 showing Southampton to Birmingham with highs of 40C. They told of festivals cancelled and power outages. But Mr Davies, a meteorologist for more than 30 years, admits he was taken aback by how quickly their predictions came true.
This year is the driest since 1935 for the whole of England, but in some parts of southern England it has been the driest since 1836. Rivers are forecast to be exceptionally low in central and southern England, according to the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, and the UK could see drought conditions until October.
Talking about last month's 40C milestone, Mr Davies said: “My colleagues in Spain, Portugal and France had given me the heads up because the heat was building and they said, ‘Look, Paul, this is a different type of beast we are dealing with. This is fierce. Those temperatures have an impact'.”
The Met Office told of receiving disturbing amounts of online abuse after issuing the severe heat warnings last month because it linked it to climate change. But a survey later carried out with the public suggests it could have saved many lives – 97 per cent of people within the red and amber extreme heat warning areas last month were aware of the danger.
He said: “There’s always a minority voice and it can hurt but as we do what’s right and present the facts that’s critical, there’s not much else we can do. But the reality is we’ve never seen these temperatures before in the UK and we still don’t know what the impact is going to be.
“It’s the majority versus the minority. The majority were understanding, certainly in my village everyone had started to look after their neighbours and the vulnerable. When you reach a certain temperature your body can’t cope with it and it shuts down, especially in the elderly and vulnerable.“
For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea.
Find recommendations for eating out, attractions and events near you here on our sister website 2Chill
Find recommendations for dog owners and more doggy stories on our sister site Teamdogs
