The Met Office have issued the first ever "red extreme heat" alert for next Monday and Tuesday.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2022-07-18

 

For... Manchester, Nottingham, Stoke-on -Trent, Birmingham, Oxford Peterborough, London.

37C expected or higher!

 

• Dangerous weather is expected and, if you have not done so already, you should take action now to keep yourself and others safe from the impact of the severe weather.

 

• It is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure.

Edited July 15, 20223 yr by martin-w

Quote

 

A Level 4 UK Health Security Agency Heat Health Alert has been issued for Monday and Tuesday. This is level of alert is used when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.

Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said: “Heat-health alerts have now been issued to the majority of the country, with temperatures set to remain consistently high throughout the duration of the weekend and the start of next week.

“It is important to keep yourself hydrated and to find shade where possible when UV rays are strongest, between 11am and 3pm.

“If you have vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather.’’

 

 

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/about-us/press-office/news/weather-and-climate/2022/red-extreme-heat-warning#:~:text=This is level of alert,just in high-risk groups.

1 hour ago, martin-w said:

The Met Office have issued the first ever "red extreme heat" alert for next Monday and Tuesday.

Ouch. 37ºC is usual here for hard summer, but we're more used to that. I don't know the UK, but I imagine it must be too much for your liking and infrastructure...

20 minutes ago, Luis Hernandez said:

Ouch. 37ºC is usual here for hard summer, but we're more used to that. I don't know the UK, but I imagine it must be too much for your liking and infrastructure...

 

40 is possible on Tuesday.

We don't have air-conditioning in our homes  or anything like that. Our homes are configured for cold weather with central heating boilers. We aren't geared up for it. 

I wouldn't think our biology is adapted to it either. People in warmer climates adapt to it. We're more adapted to colder weather. I would say that in hot climates you guys are more likely to be aware of basic measures like staying well hydrated etc.

 Most people will be okay, but vulnerable members of society like kids and old people are the worry. 

I'll be cooler by the coast. 30C expected where I am. 

Infrastructure can be an issue, our roads are already melting in places.

Gritters are on the roads.

https://news.sky.com/story/uk-weather-gritters-are-being-taken-out-of-hibernation-to-save-the-nations-melting-roads-12650286

 

 

 

Edited July 15, 20223 yr by martin-w

On hydration.

I don't know if your Met office has given you any guidelines Martin but when we were out in the field with the Army in the maneuver area in Idaho in the summer the rule of thumb was a canteen (quart) of water an hour while outside and we were on a buddy system to make sure that was maintained.

Indoors I would say at least half that much would be appropriate if you don't have air conditioning.

Check the color of your urine.  If clear to pale yellow you are ok and hydrated.  Darket yellow means drink more water.

Make sure your pets have adequate water too.

These days I am drinking 8 12 ounce glasses of fluids a day.  Tea and /or coffee in the morning and plain water in the afternoon and evening.  Avoid soft drinks. 

And if you go outside wear head covering and long sleeve shirts.  That sun can bake you in short order. 

https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/nm/roswell

Noel

Edited July 15, 20223 yr by birdguy

Good of the Met Office to issue a Red Heat warning, but it's not really necessary; everyone knows it's not a great movie.

Walter Hill was really phoning it in on that one. 🤣

Edited July 15, 20223 yr by Chock

In the 60s stationed in Libya when out in the Sahara Desert we where issued with salt tablets, temps of 40c was common now salt is bad for you.  

I've got a small AC unit on the way. The temperature has been getting up to 29C in my office at home where my flight sim PC is during the evening which is unbearable. I'm hoping my new AC unit will make the room at least a little more comfortable.

1 hour ago, G-RFRY said:

In the 60s stationed in Libya when out in the Sahara Desert we where issued with salt tablets,

Same thing when I was stationed in Thailand in the60s.  A small bowl of salt tablets was on all the tables in the dining halls.  I seldom took any.

Noel

I feel for you guys further south in the UK than my home town of Ulverston. I suspect that the temperatures will be considerably lower here than they are in the great southern desert.

4 hours ago, birdguy said:

On hydration.

I don't know if your Met office has given you any guidelines Martin but when we were out in the field with the Army in the maneuver area in Idaho in the summer the rule of thumb was a canteen (quart) of water an hour while outside and we were on a buddy system to make sure that was maintained.

Indoors I would say at least half that much would be appropriate if you don't have air conditioning.

Check the color of your urine.  If clear to pale yellow you are ok and hydrated.  Darket yellow means drink more water.

Make sure your pets have adequate water too.

These days I am drinking 8 12 ounce glasses of fluids a day.  Tea and /or coffee in the morning and plain water in the afternoon and evening.  Avoid soft drinks. 

And if you go outside wear head covering and long sleeve shirts.  That sun can bake you in short order. 

https://www.wunderground.com/forecast/us/nm/roswell

Noel

 

Thanks for the advice Noel, much appreciated. Fluid intake is something that has been rather low for me lately, definitely something I need to increase. 

Affirmative re feline member of the family. He gets fresh water every day. Like most cats that have wet food he doesn't drink a huge amount, cat kidneys are more efficient than ours, but he has a large glass of water to drink from. That's right, he drinks out of a large glass tumbler. 😁 He prefers it to a dish so he doesn't have to bend down. 😺 He has no issue coping with the heat, cats are pretty awesome at such things, freezing cold or very hot, they cope well. Better than dogs I would say.

I'm coastal as you know, and further south now than the UK, so the UV here does blast you. I make sure that if I'm out for more than 30 mins I spray my self with factor 30 or 50 sun screen. 

2 hours ago, G-RFRY said:

In the 60s stationed in Libya when out in the Sahara Desert we where issued with salt tablets, temps of 40c was common now salt is bad for you.  

 

Salt is bad for you because we ram many times more than our body needs in our mouths every day. Usually hidden in processed food.

That's not the same as taking small amounts of sodium temporarily in extreme heat, when we are dehydrated, as sodium is an essential electrolyte. 

9 minutes ago, Christopher Low said:

I feel for you guys further south in the UK than my home town of Ulverston.

 

South is certainly warmer usually.

Our peak in Channel islands will be 30 they say, whereas my son who lives in Birmingham may hit 40, despite the fact I'm much further south and closer to France than UK.

It's inland areas that suffer the most. Coastal regions are cooler in the summer because the ocean takes time to warm, keeping the temp down a bit.

Looks to me like a simple short-term heat wave.  Happens all the time, all over the world, and usually in Summer.

The temp today in London, a large city and thus prone to urban heat island effects, is a reasonable 25C, and the high temps for the next 10 days, aside from a few days of high heat, is forecast to be around 25C.

Certainly for those few days where temps are around 35C people need to be careful and stay hydrated, especially the infirm and elderly.

Otherwise, there is no cause for alarm.  This is not a long-term emergency and there is nothing to get into a panic about.

Dave

4 hours ago, G-RFRY said:

In the 60s stationed in Libya when out in the Sahara Desert we where issued with salt tablets, temps of 40c was common now salt is bad for you.

Digressing a bit from topic, but where were you based in Libya? Was this National Service?  Your post brought back memories. The 60s were great time for many in the forces.

El Adem airfield was always either hot or very hot.  Taking our Canberras into there was always interesting, with sand often obscuring the runway and donkeys wandering around. On the other hand, taking off in the heat of a summer day in a T4 was at best quite tense. It was not a very long runway and I sometimes thought it was just as well you couldn't see exactly where it ended and the desert began.   Elf n safety hadn't been developed in those days.

Edited July 15, 20223 yr by Biggles2010