We all remember last summer’s sweltering (and some might say unbearable) heatwave. Maybe you spent it sat still in a cool, darkened room or perhaps you braved a sunbathe in the local park. It turned out to be our joint-hottest summer ever (on par with 2018), with UK temperatures hitting 40C in some places and the Met Office issuing its very first red warning for extreme heat. And whether you loved it or loathed it, you may have to start getting used to it.
Responding to reports that we could get multiple heatwaves over the next few months with temperatures in excess of 35C, a Met Office meteorologist told The Independent that it would be ‘unprecedented, but not impossible’.
Forecaster Honor Criswick said: ‘We had a similar set-up last summer, though there were additional factors at play, with a high to the east of the UK bringing hot air up from the south/southeast.’
Criswick added that there is a ‘greater than normal chance of impacts from hot weather such as heatwaves’ which is ‘consistent with our warming climate’. However, she also pointed out that, as is always the case with longer-term forecasting, it’s hard to be certain at this point.
So, while we don’t know whether it will get as extreme as last year, it’s clear we should be prepared for another absolute scorcher.
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