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The UK is currently experiencing an intense heatwave, with temperatures in parts of south-east England possibly reaching 37°C, breaking previous June records. This comes shortly after unprecedented warmth in May, highlighting changes in the nation’s climate. Scientists have described these temperature records as “extraordinary” and stress the urgent need for preparations to handle even more extreme heat in the future.
Such early and high summer temperatures are unusual but align with ongoing climate change trends. Lizzie Kendon, a professor of climate science at the University of Bristol and head of climate projections at the UK Met Office, explained that rising temperatures and new record highs are expected consequences of climate change. She added, “What is so extraordinary, however, is the margin by which the record will be broken.” According to the Met Office, the number of days exceeding 30°C in the UK has more than tripled between 2015 and 2024 compared to the 1961-1990 average, and reaching 35°C—once rare in the 20th century—has happened six times in the past decade.
The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK reached 40.3°C in July 2022, and this record is very likely to be broken again. Projections suggest that, if global warming continues unchecked, summer temperatures in the mid-40s Celsius could become a reality by 2050. Further complicating matters, higher temperatures dry out soils, reducing evaporative cooling and intensifying heat. Some scientists also suggest that climate change may increase the chance of high-pressure systems becoming stationary, creating so-called “heat domes” like the one recently affecting Europe. Dr Akshay Deoras of the University of Reading noted that “Climate change [is] loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past.” However, scientists emphasize that rapid reduction of greenhouse gas emissions remains essential to limit this warming.
Despite these warnings, the UK is currently ill-prepared for a future of hotter summers. The independent advisory body, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), criticized successive UK governments in May for failing to sufficiently prepare for escalating heat risks, calling their performance “woeful.” The Committee highlighted consequences of the 40°C heatwave in 2022, including increased deaths and hospital admissions, plus widespread disruption to transportation networks. Xueyu Geng, a professor of geotechnical engineering at the University of Warwick, explained how infrastructure is affected: “When temperatures rise this sharply, and for this long, the effects ripple across everything we have built – our homes, our offices, our railways, our roads, the very ground beneath them.” Railway steel lines can expand by up to 20°C above air temperature in strong sunlight, causing buckling, and road surfaces can soften, necessitating maintenance.
Currently, only a small proportion of UK homes are equipped with air conditioning, and without urgent measures, over 90% of existing homes are at risk of overheating during extreme heatwaves by mid-century, according to the CCC. They have repeatedly urged the government to prioritize heat adaptation strategies, despite the billions of pounds in upfront costs. The Committee advocates for widespread installation of cooling technologies in homes, schools, and hospitals, along with regulations to set maximum workplace temperatures to protect health. Some European countries already adjust school hours and restrict outdoor labor during heat alerts. The UK government has expressed commitment to climate preparedness, with Floods Minister Emma Hardy stating to BBC News that it is “something [the government] is really committed to.”
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