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UK issues 1st-ever ‘red’ warning for hot weather next week

Published:Friday | July 15, 2022 | 2:32 PM
A man enjoys the sun on his boat on the river Thames near Hammersmith in London, Friday, July 15, 2022. British weather forecaster the Met Office has said temperatures are like to peak at the beginning of next week and has extended its Amber weather warning from Sunday to Tuesday.(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

LONDON (AP) — British authorities issued their first ever “red” warning for extreme heat early next week, declaring a national emergency as forecasters predict record temperatures that will put even healthy people at risk of serious illness and death.

The warning covers Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures in England may reach 40 C (104 F) for the first time, the United Kingdom Met Office said.

The British record is 38.7C (101.7F), set in 2019.

The alert comes as scientists say climate change is increasing the likelihood of exceptional heat waves in Britain, a country better known for gray skies and rain.

The chances of temperatures like those forecast for next week are already 10 times higher than they would be without the influence of human activity, said Nikos Christidis, a Met Office climate scientist.

“We hoped we wouldn't get to this situation, but for the first time ever we are forecasting greater than 40°C in the UK,”  Christidis said in a prepared statement.

“In a recent study, we found that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK has been increasing and will continue to do so during the course of the century.”

The UK Health Security Agency increased its own hot weather alert to the highest level, putting it to “national emergency.”

The warning system was created in 2004 when concerns about climate change spurred authorities to develop their first plan to protect the public from severed heat.

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