UK temperature tops 40C for first time ever breaking record three times in one day
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Temperature records were broken three times in one day in the UK on Tuesday, after temperatures hit 40.3C at Coningsby, surpassing two other records set just hours earlier. The Met Office said at least 29 of its observation sites across the UK had recorded temperatures above the previous UK record of 38.7C set in Cambridge in 2019, on Tuesday. Reacting to the UK’s new temperature record on Tuesday, the Met Office’s chief of science and technology said he hadn’t expected to see the UK exceed 40C in his career. “It’s virtually impossible for the UK to experience 40C in an undisrupted climate, but climate change driven by greenhouse gases has made these extreme temperatures possible.” Professor Belcher said if the world continued to pump out high amounts of greenhouse gas emissions the UK could see temperatures like this every three years.“These extremes will get more extreme in the future, the only way we can stabilise the comment is by achieving net zero.” As the heat breaks, the Met Office has forecast heavy showers and thunderstorms in parts of England on Wednesday and warned that it could cause disruption on roads and rail with chances of flooding, lightning and possible power cuts.
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