Britain tops 40C for the first time in recorded history
An intense heat wave pushed UK temperatures past a threshold once thought nearly impossible, igniting wildfires.
The United Kingdom recorded a temperature above 40 degrees Celsius for the first time in its history this July, as an intense heat wave shattered the national record and pushed a country built for mild, damp weather to its limits.
The record reading, logged in eastern England, surpassed the previous national high by a significant margin and crossed a threshold that scientists had, until recently, considered nearly impossible in Britain. Much of the country sweltered, with the heat disrupting transport as rails buckled and runways softened, and igniting wildfires that destroyed homes.
The UK, where air conditioning is rare in homes and public buildings, was ill-equipped for such temperatures. Health authorities issued their highest heat alerts, warning of serious risks to health, and the heat was blamed for a sharp rise in deaths.
Climate scientists said the event bore the unmistakable fingerprint of global warming, which has made such extreme heat in the UK far more likely than it would have been in a cooler, pre-industrial climate. The record, they warned, would not stand for long.
The heat wave was a jarring moment for a nation more used to fretting about rain, and a visceral demonstration that climate change was bringing dangerous extremes even to temperate countries. It prompted urgent discussion of how Britain's homes, infrastructure and health systems must adapt to a hotter future.