UK Sees Melting Runway & Burning Trees In 40°C Heatwave, Folks Can Even Cook Eggs In The Garden

Heatwave Brings Record High 40.3°C UK Temperatures On 19 Jul

The United Kingdom (UK) might be known for its grey and gloomy weather. In recent times, however, the weather in the UK has been unbearably warm as a heatwave sweeps across Europe.

On Tuesday (19 Jul), temperatures in the UK exceeded 40°C for the first time in history, reported BBC.

It apparently got so hot that countless grassland fires erupted. Some airports even came to a standstill due to melting runways.

UK records highest-ever temperature of 40.3°C during Jul 2022 heatwave

On Tuesday (19 Jul), the UK recorded its highest temperature ever — 40.3°C in Coningsby, located in the East Midlands of England.

Temperatures at 33 other UK locations also exceeded the previous highest recorded temperature of 38.7°C recorded in 2019.

According to BBC, the Meteorological Office – the UK’s national weather service – issued a red extreme heat warning for the first time.

The sweltering heat ignited fires across the country — trees turned into tinderboxes, like in this grassland fire on the outskirts of London.

Fire services said there was a surge in fires including several major incidents.

A grassland fire in Wennington, London, also spread to nearby properties, causing 15 to 20 houses to become inhabitable.

Airport runway melts, causing plane delays

Besides trees, roads were also affected by the intense heatwave. All over the country, roads were quite literally melting in the sun.

Some TikTokers even took advantage of the melting roads by ‘writing’ their names.

And it wasn’t just the countryside, the heat was too much even for the runway at London Luton Airport.

As the runway melted, the airport had no choice but to cancel flights on Monday (18 Jul) to allow for repairs.

According to The Guardian, the airport had identified a surface defect caused by “high temperatures”.

The cancelled flights meant that hundreds of furious passengers were left stranded in the warm and crowded airport for hours.

Besides air travel disruptions, hundreds of train services were also cancelled due to the heatwave.

The fires caused by extreme temperatures had damaged rail infrastructures, reported The Independent.

The East Coast main line, which links King’s Cross Station in London to Scotland, was one train service that had to be closed.

London Tube commuters also faced serious train delays as railway tracks bent due to the unrelenting heat.

Some tried cooking egg under unrelenting sun

While the heat disrupted some people’s lives, others decided to make the most of the sweltering weather.

This resident from Finchampstead, Berkshire, decided to cook an egg in their garden, under the afternoon sun.

Across the English Channel, other European countries were also hit hard by the heatwave.

According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), deadly wildfires engulfed countries like France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain.

Speaking to BBC, Met Office chief of science and technology Professor Stephen Belcher said temperatures above 40°C are virtually impossible in an undisrupted climate.

In this case, Prof Belcher said the heatwave is largely due to climate change driven by greenhouse gases.

If high emissions continue, he warned that such extreme temperatures could be seen once every three years.

A reminder that climate change is an urgent issue that needs tackling

The abnormally high temperatures in the UK have certainly caused their fair share of disruptions.

However, as things can always get worse, we hope it’s also a reminder that climate change is an urgent and real issue that needs tackling.

We hope the heatwave will soon pass and that temperatures will return to bearable levels soon.

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Featured image adapted from @EastCambsCops, @efendaTv, and @thespraycompany on Twitter.