Schools have closed and people have been urged not to travel, as rare red heat weather warnings come into force across much of Britain.
Temperatures could hit 40C on Wednesday and Thursday in some parts of England and Wales as a “heat-dome” settling over western Europe has brought extreme conditions across the continent.
During the peak of the heatwave on these two days, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C, which was measured in Lincolnshire in July 2022.
The latest heatwave is also expected to surpass the record for June of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.
Over 850 schools in England and Wales have told parents they will be fully closed or finishing early, with pupils at some schools have been told they can wear PE kit rather than full school uniform.
Great Northern, Southern, Avanti West Coast and Thameslink services will be disrupted until Friday, with Eurostar and Gatwick Express operators warning of delays.
Chiltern Railways has axed more than half its services until Friday “to ensure the safe operation of the railway”.
The Army has also cancelled ceremonial operations, including the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace, in London and Windsor to “protect its soldiers’ wellbeing.”
The alert has been issued
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MET OFFICE
Avanti West Coast was the operator with the most disruption on Wednesday morning, with four out of five service either cancelled or more than 30 minutes late.
Chiltern Railways said it is running fewer than half its usual services until Friday “to ensure the safe operation of the railway”.
This affects London Marylebone services to and from Birmingham, Oxford and Aylesbury via Amersham.
Great Western Railway issued a plea for its services to be used for “essential travel only” on Wednesday and Thursday.
Much of London is sweltering in the heat
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GETTY
A GWR spokesman said speed restrictions mean it will be forced to run fewer services than usual and journey times will be extended.
It is also running fewer trains than normal between London Paddington and Reading because Network Rail is not moving some points, pieces of metal that enable trains to change tracks, on the route to cut the risk of failures, which are more likely in high temperatures.
LNER said “we strongly advise that you do not travel” on Wednesday or Thursday.
An AA spokesperson said the breakdown callouts it is attending are “considerably more challenging than usual” because of high temperatures.
People have been forced to use umbrellas and shopping bags to shield themselves from the sun
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REUTERS
Britain’s electricity grid operator has issued an industry warning that the power supply could be squeezed on Wednesday evening as extreme heat puts pressure on the system.
It marks a rare summer call out for more power from the National Energy System Operator (Neso) as the country braces for record-breaking temperatures.
Neso, the body which is tasked with making sure the supply of electricity matches demand for it, said it had issued a so-called electricity margin notice.
This sends a message to the electricity market to ask for more capacity to be made available, allowing for production to increase if necessary.