Friday could be the UK’s hottest day on record, forecasters have warned, adding that Thursday was unlikely to be much cooler, as the extended heatwave that has hit the country continues. The Met Office predicted temperatures in the south-east of England as high as 37C on Friday – in places potentially even surpassing the previous all-time high of 38.5C – and only a couple of degrees cooler on Thursday. The lengthy hot and dry spell, which has particularly affected eastern England, is likely to be broken by thunderstorms towards the end of the week that could bring rainfall of as much as 30mm (1.18in) in an hour, forecasters said. While many have enjoyed the weather, there were warnings on Wednesday to avoid “careless and reckless” behaviour as emergency services across the country deal with grass fires in the aftermath of the major incident on moorland to the east of Manchester. The NHS said demand for online health advice through its NHS Choices service in July had increased 450% year-on-year. 01:11 Why is it so hot? – video explainer “The heatwave conditions will continue across much of England, with temperatures into the mid to high 30s Celsius in many places from the Midlands eastwards on Thursday and Friday and it’s possible that we could break the all-time UK record of 38.5C if conditions all come together,” said the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, Paul Gundersen. Quick Guide Your forecast from the Met Office Show Eastern England A dry and muggy night is forecast on Wednesday, with some mist and fog north of the Wash. Thursday is expected to be hot, with temperatures reaching as high as 35C in southerly areas and 26C in the north. Thunderstorms could develop all over eastern England later in the day. Friday and the weekend are likely to remain hot, if a little cooler, and there will be the continued risk of thunderstorms on Friday and further rainfall during the weekend. Western England A dry night is expected on Wednesday, with temperatures not falling below 14C in southerly areas, and 11C in northerly. It is forecast to be hot throughout on Thursday, with maximum temperatures between 31 and 32C, though thunderstorms could hit the Pennines and there could be some hazy weather to the south. Friday and the weekend will likely still be sunny, though it could be a little cooler and with the risk of rain persisting. Wales Wednesday night is likely to be dry and warm, with temperatures not falling below 10C. Thursday is forecast to be sunny and hottest in easterly areas, where temperatures could get as high as 30C. Westerly areas are still likely to be warm, but should see light winds. Friday and the weekend are not expected be as hot and there is a risk of showers, turning into persistent rain on Sunday. Scotland A largely fine evening on Wednesday, though the weather could turn a little chilly in rural areas. Thursday is likely to be very warm, with temperatures in the mid-20s throughout Scotland – barring Orkney and Shetland. The weekend is likely to bring rain throughout the country as it wears on. Northern Ireland Slightly cooler than most of the rest of the country on Wednesday night, with a minimum temperature of 9C and some cloud to the west. Thursday will be dry and sunny, especially in the east, while that westerly cloud could bring rain. The maximum temperature is predicted to be 25C. Friday and the weekend are likely to see outbreaks of showery rain, interspersed with some cloudy and some sunny weather. Was this helpful? Thank you for your feedback. “There is the chance of thunderstorms breaking out over some eastern parts of England on Thursday, but it is Friday when we see intense thunderstorms affecting many central and eastern areas,” Gundersen added. “While many places will remain dry and hot, the thunderstorms on Friday could lead to torrential downpours in places with as much as 30mm of rainfall in an hour and 60mm [2.36in] in three hours. Large hail and strong, gusty winds are also likely and combined could lead to difficult driving conditions as a result of spray and sudden flooding.” The Met Office issued a yellow warning of thunderstorms, its second most severe, covering the whole of eastern England from the Scottish border to Bedfordshire, excepting East Anglia and the southern part of the Wash from 2pm to the end of Friday. The highest temperature on record in the UK is 38.5C, which was observed at Faversham in August 2003. This year’s hottest day so far was Monday, when Santon Downham in Suffolk saw temperatures of 33.3C – a little more than a degree less than 2017’s highest. Fears that tracks will buckle led to speed restrictions on Chiltern Railways, Greater Anglia and Northern lines on Wednesday. Cutting the speed of trains reduces the force they exert on the track. A spokeswoman for Network Rail said: “On very sunny days, rails in direct sunshine can be as much as 20C above air temperature, causing the steel to expand markedly. “Our engineers and specialist extreme weather teams are monitoring trackside temperatures and vulnerable locations and will, if necessary, introduce temporary speed restrictions during the hottest part of the day to keep trains running, albeit more slowly than normal.” Many journeys on the UK’s motorway network were also taking as much as half an hour longer. “Summer is always a busy time for breakdowns and we tend to see a lot of tyre problems, overheating engines and keys locked in cars,” an AA spokesperson said. In London, the mayor, Sadiq Khan, issued a “high air pollution alert” for Thursday, as rising temperatures combine with pollution from the continent to create dangerous conditions. Adults and children with lung problems, as well as adults with heart problems, were advised to reduce their physical activity. Last week, the Guardian reported a spike in asthma deaths due in part to the pollution crisis and doctors have said anyone with the condition may need to use their inhalers more often.<doc-sep>Sweltering Britain is soaring towards what could be the hottest day ever, as trains are delayed to prevent tracks from buckling in the heat and reservoirs run dry. The Met Office said Friday could be the UK's warmest July day as temperatures are expected to rise to at least 37C (98.6F), with the possibility the all-time heat record of 38.5C (101.3F) will be broken. But thunderstorms are expected to provide slight relief from the scorching heatwave. After weeks without rain, torrential downpours are due to hit parts of Britain from Friday afternoon, with as much as 30mm (1.2in) expected to fall in just an hour. With a chance of hail and strong winds alongside the torrential downpours, the temperature could drop back to the high 20s, the Met Office said. Temperatures reached a high of 32C on Wednesday as the warm weather continued in parts of the UK. Wisley, Surrey, was the warmest place in the UK, while the lowest temperature of 4.2C was recorded in Braemar, Aberdeenshire. A high of at least 37C (98.6F) is forecast for London and the south-east on Friday. An amber "heat health watch" warning remains in place for parts of England, with people being warned to try to stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm.<doc-sep>This summer is shaping up to be a record sizzler from Algeria's deserts to Japan's bustling cities. With the United Kingdom poised for historic heat Friday, countries across four continents smashed their own temperature marks this month. In the past 30 days, there have been 3,092 new daily high temperatures, 159 new monthly heat records and 55 all-time highs worldwide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In the U.S. alone, there have been 1,542 new daily high temperatures, 85 new monthly heat records and 23 all-time highs during the same period, most of which were recorded in Texas, New Mexico and Louisiana. United Kingdom Temperatures on Thursday reached 95.2 degrees at Wisley, Surrey, making it the hottest day of the year, according to the Met Office, which provides weather predictions and warnings for the U.K. The United Kingdom's all-time heat record of 101.3 degrees could be broken Friday, the Met Office said in a statement. That record was set in Faversham on Aug. 10, 2003. Particularly concerning for the U.K. is that heat-related deaths could spike up to 7,000 a year by 2050 unless lawmakers create a plan to help people at risk of dehydration and heatstroke, Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee warned. Japan and the Korean Peninsula Japan recorded its highest temperature ever Monday with a reading of 106 degrees in Kumagaya. More than 65 people have died in the heat wave, and more than 22,000 people have been taken to hospitals. Officials called the heat a natural disaster, and the Japanese Meteorological Agency predicts temperatures will continue at 95 degrees or higher into August. In South Korea, 10 people died from heat-related health complications, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. Officials said more than 1,040 people reported dehydration and other heat-related illnesses from May 20 to July 21, a 61 percent increase over the same period last year. Temperatures this week reached up to 103.8 in Hayang, South Korea, the highest in the country this year. And in North Korea, temperatures reached up to 104 degrees. "It is so hot these days that I cannot figure out whether I am in (South Korea) or in Southeast Asia," Kim Sung-hee, a student in downtown Seoul, told ABC News. Canada More than 70 people died from blistering heat in late June and early July in central and eastern Canada. Thirty-four of these deaths occurred in Montreal from June 29 to July 7 alone, NPR reported. Most of the people who died were elderly and lived in apartments with no air conditioning, David Kaiser, a physician manager at the Montreal Regional Department of Public Health, told NPR. Montreal’s emergency services said it received more than 1,200 heat-related calls daily in the beginning of July. Montreal's fire and police departments also visited more than 20,000 homes to check on residents. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned Canadians via Twitter to "make sure you know how to protect yourself & your family" against the heat. Algeria Ouargla, Algeria, experienced the hottest reliably measured temperature ever in Africa at 124.3 on July 5. The city is the capital of the Ouargla Province in the Sahara Desert. Temperatures of 131 hit Kebili, Tunisia, in 1931, but historians have their doubts about the record. The heat has played a role in Algeria's recent human rights violations. In the past 14 months, the Algerian government expelled more than 13,000 migrants – including pregnant women and children – into the desert's blistering heat. Algerian officials forced hundreds of migrants at gunpoint into the desert every week to walk in temperatures up to 118 degrees, The Associated Press reported. Scandinavia In Sweden, temperatures caused at least 50 forest fires in different parts of the country – some north of the Arctic Circle. Nearly 100 people were forced to evacuate their homes last week, according to Swedish officials. Jamtland, Vasterbotten, Gavleborg and Dalarna counties were hit hardest. The Swedish government called for international assistance to fight the fires from the European Commission. Italy, France, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Lithuania and Poland sent reinforcements including firefighters, vehicles, planes and helicopters to help put out the blazes. Temperatures in Kvikkjokk soared to 90.5 Tuesday, an all-time high for the city and nearly 20 degrees higher than the country's normal July temperatures. In southern Sweden, Uppsala hit 93.9 degrees Monday, its highest since 1975. In Norway, all-time records were reached Tuesday in Namsskogan and Mo I Rana. The small town of Snasa smashed its own mark with a temperature of 88.9 degrees on Monday. In southern Finland, Turku hit 91.9, the hottest day since 1914.<doc-sep>
Temperatures in the coming days could break all-time UK records, with the mercury set to soar to 37C (98.6F). The Met Office said the highest temperatures are expected in London and the South East, with 35C (95F) expected on Thursday and 37C on Friday. The all-time UK record is 38.5C (101.3F), set in August 2003, and the highest July temperature was 36.7C (98.06F) in 2015 at Heathrow. Wednesday's top temperature was 32C (89.6F) in Wisley, Surrey. The past few weeks have seen the driest first half of summer on record, leaving grasslands parched and parts of the country facing water restrictions. Image: The view in Glastonbury is dominated by once green fields, now very yellow Some train operators have introduced speed restrictions, crops are being damaged, and Britons have been warned to stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm. :: Sky News latest weather forecast In East Anglia and the South East the last day of widespread rainfall was 29 May. Paul Gundersen, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: "If you're looking for somewhere to escape the heat, western and northern areas will have pleasantly warm mid 20s, although across Northern Ireland and western Scotland this may be accompanied by occasionally cloudy skies." Image: Regent's Canal, where the heat has meant a noticeable increase in duck weed But thunderstorms could be on the way, with possible flooding, difficult driving conditions and power cuts. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for torrential downpours, hail and strong wind on Friday afternoon and evening. This warning covers the South East, along with northern and eastern parts of the country. Image: The Yarrow reservoir near Bolton has almost dried up in parts Mr Gundersen added: "There is the chance of thunderstorms breaking out over some eastern parts of England on Thursday, but it is Friday when we see intense thunderstorms affecting many central and eastern areas. "While many places will remain dry and hot, the thunderstorms on Friday could lead to torrential downpours in places with as much as 30mm of rainfall in an hour and 60mm in 3 hours. "Large hail and strong, gusty winds are also likely and combined could lead to difficult driving conditions as a result of spray and sudden flooding." Sky Data has polled 1,243 Britons to find out what they thought about hosepipe bans and whether climate change was to blame for the heatwave. Some 32% said they thought climate change was a great deal to blame for the recent hot weather, while 10% said it was not at all. Also, 12% said using a hosepipe during a hosepipe ban was socially acceptable and 68% said they would not find a hosepipe ban disruptive. Sky Data interviewed a nationally representative sample of 1,243 Sky customers by SMS on 25 July 2018. Data are weighted to the profile of the population. For full Sky Data tables, please click here.