SCORCHIO!
UK weather – Roads melt ‘like chocolate’ and train lines buckle in extreme heat as Brits face another 30C scorcher today
BRITS face yet ANOTHER scorching day with temperatures to hit 30C once more - after thunderstorms swept across the country yesterday.
Recent high temperatures have made roads "melt like chocolate" with councils around the country carrying out emergency repairs to surfaces damaged in the heat.
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
Massive hailstones swept across parts of the country on Tuesday night but have failed to make a dent in the scorching summer heat.
The mercury will soar back up to 30C today - with the possibility of reaching highs of 33C by Friday.
The ice cream aisles in supermarkets across the country have been ransacked and left empty by Brits desperate to cool down in the heat.
But the glorious weather took a turn in the East of England as heavy rain and hail fell and flooded several roads in "apocalyptic" scenes - as scattered storms look set to return today.
The barmy weather sent hail the "size of golf balls"; crashing down during a thunderstorm in Leciester - seeing car windows smashed and vehicles dented "minutes" after locals were basking in the sunshine.
The Met Office have now issued a yellow warning for rain from Saturday across much of England and Wales as the weather flips on its head over the weekend.
Today, the Met said southern and western England will be hit with another 30C scorcher, as things cool down a little in the East.
And the hot weather is expected to continue next month after the hottest day of the year was recorded at Heathrow on Sunday when the mercury hit 31.6C.
The forecasters now expect a two week heatwave will come at the start of August, as "warmer and drier-than-average conditions look likely to return for much of the UK."
An amber extreme heat warning remains in place for central and southern England, Wales and Northern Ireland as bookies have slashed odds to just 10/11 on this month being the hottest July on record.
's forecast for Wednesday says to expect, "low cloud in eastern Scotland and near the north-east coast of England.
"High cloud will also move into the south-west of Britain.
"Otherwise, it will be another hot and generally dry and sunny day, with temperatures reaching highs of 25-29C and peaking at 30-32C locally in the south-west.
"Some scattered thundery showers will again break out, the most likely places for these being the south-east and also the north-west of England."
In Gloucestershire emergency maintenance had to be carried out yesterday as part of the A38 was deemed unsafe because of the searing heat.
Somerset County Council said: "Think of the asphalt like chocolate - it melts and softens when it's hot and goes hard and brittle when it's cold.
"As a result, it doesn't maintain the same strength all year round.
Grit was poured on top of the melted tar to solidify it and re-attach to surfaces.
Meanwhile, in Freebridge Close drivers complained of tarmac being embedded on their wheels .
And the heat has proved to be too much for the country's trains, with scores of passengers delayed.
Some train speeds have been halved due to the risk of lines buckling in the heat.
London Northwestern cut speeds on its main line from London Euston, with Chiltern Railways also affected on the London Marylebone to Oxford line, and Northern Rail hit between Hull and Bridlington, East Yorks.
Network Rail said: “Rails expand as they get hotter. Speed restrictions mean lower forces on tracks, reducing the chance of buckling.”
And the heatwave could cause planes to veer outside approved airspaces amid GPS malfunctions.
UK Civil Aviation Authority said: "It is possible for tablets and mobile phones to overheat and shut down in hot weather.
"We have recently seen an increase in airspace infringements caused by overheating devices being used as moving maps in GA aircraft."
Brits were stunned as the ice fell from the sky last night in the middle of the balmy week.
And now The Met Office's amber extreme heat warning is set to last until Friday, with the mercury expected to climb as high as 33C in parts of the country.
Rescue teams have echoed warnings of the dangers of swimming in open water after 12 people have now drowned during the heatwave.
Public Health England has extended its heat-health warning, which warns people to take measures to stay cool and look out for vulnerable people, until Friday.
"Some delays to road, rail and air travel are possible, with potential for welfare issues for those who experience prolonged delays," said the Met Office.
GIANT HAILSTONES
It comes after Britain baked on the hottest day of the year as temperatures soared to 32C on Monday - before thunderstorms battered the country, and even ruined cars.
The Met Office yesterday issued four weather warnings for storms as well as extreme heat alerts while temperatures rocketed to 32.2C at Heathrow Airport.
They have now issued a yellow rain warning for the weekend and said to expect heavy rain and thundery showers after a week of sunshine.
The warning is in place across the majority of England and Wales as residents were cautioned about the possibility of flooding and travel disruption.
In Kibworth, Leicester, large hailstones caused damage to outdoor furniture and even smashed the windscreens of cars as stormy weather hit the area.
Dad-of-two Kevin Messenger, 39, had his VW Polo windscreen smashed by the unbelievable hail and believes the cost of damage in the area will be "running into the hundreds if not thousands of pounds."
He said, "The hails stones were huge, I've never seen anything like it. The only thing I can compare it to was monsoon season when I went to Thailand.
"The hail was that severe it smashed the back windscreen of my car, I know other people in the village who had their car windows smashed too."
Care homes and sheltered housing were evacuated after the hail smashed glass and corridors flooded as a month's worth of rain fell in 30 minutes.
Twitter users posted images and videos of ruined pipes and damaged cars, as well as hailstones the size of large marbles.
There were also reports of intense rain and hail in Essex and Kent, amid a flash storm in the area.
Giant hailstones were spotted in Essex on Monday afternoon as storms hit with residents reporting the hail as "the size of marbles."
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
SCORCHING HEAT
The previous high for the year was 31.6C, which was also recorded at Heathrow on Sunday.
And Monday kicked this week's four-day heatwave off with 31C in the likes of London, with many areas hotter than Ibiza.
Some places even recorded conditions hotter than 29C Nouakchott, Mauritania, on the edge of the Sahara Desert.
And in the following days, the mercury is expected to creep up a degree or more.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: "Temperatures are likely to peak at around 32C (89.6F), even reaching 33C (91.4F) in isolated spots across southern England, so very warm for many.
"Even the more cooler areas will see temperatures in the twenties while other places could see some thundery showers.";
The new extreme heat weather warning was introduced on June 1 to highlight the dangers heatwaves pose on health, infrastructure and other services.
Killer heatwave fears were fanned after Public Health England figures showed 2,256 excess UK deaths were recorded during heatwaves in 2020 - the highest since records began.
22
22
22
Most read in News
Bookies have slashed the odds on UK temperatures reaching a whopping 35C this week.
As the heatwave continues, Ladbrokes has cut the odds to just 3/1 that the thermometer hits 35C anywhere in the UK before the end of the week.
Jessica O'Reilly of Ladbrokes said: "Freedom Day coupled with the heatwave is sure to see plenty of workers pulling sickies this week, and it wouldn't be a huge surprise to see temperatures surpass 35C."
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Cars left covered in melted tarmac after council resurfaces roads in heatwave
22
22
22
22
22
Topics