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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Patrick Greenfield

Wednesday briefing: ​Can the UK adapt in time to a new normal of extreme heat?

The sun rises over London, viewed from Richmond Park, with hazy buildings silhouetted by trees
Heatwaves will be more common and prolonged in the UK over the coming decades. Photograph: Brook Mitchell/AFP/Getty Images

The UK swelters once again. On Tuesday, temperatures surged to 35C, condemning millions of people to another sticky night in homes ill-prepared for such warm conditions.

The heat is record-breaking: we are still in spring, yet temperatures are close to extremes we once never expected even in high summer. Yorkshire experienced its first ever “tropical night” in spring on Monday, when the evening temperature failed to fall below 20C. Health alerts remain in effect across large parts of the country due to the increased likelihood of deaths, particularly among vulnerable and elderly people. Yet, experts warn, this may just be the road to a new normal.

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