Western Europe is bracing for another round of extreme heat on Thursday, with the United Kingdom facing its fifth heat wave of what is already on track to become the hottest summer recorded in the nation’s history.
Meteorologists forecast temperatures will climb as high as 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) across central and southeast England, coming within half a degree of the August all-time record set in 2003. The UK’s national weather service, the Met Office, confirmed earlier this week that even average temperatures for the remainder of August would push 202X past last year’s mark to become the hottest full year on record.
For a nation that has not built widespread infrastructure to cope with sustained high temperatures, this summer’s string of heat waves has created persistent and dangerous discomfort across communities. The crisis has been particularly acute in NHS hospitals, where nursing staff have already suffered heat exhaustion that led to some workers collapsing on the job, according to the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
RCN Chief Executive and General Secretary Professor Nicola Ranger emphasized the severity of the failure to protect frontline care staff: “When nursing staff are collapsing, feeling dizzy, sick or even being admitted to the very hospitals they work in because their workplaces cannot handle the heat, it shows just how badly they are being failed.”
Beyond risks to public health, most of the UK is now officially experiencing drought, putting unprecedented strain on household water supplies, agricultural production and natural ecosystems. Southern Water, the utility managing water access across southern England, has submitted an application for a rare drought order that would enforce a ban on non-essential business water use, including vehicle washing and filling non-residential swimming pools. The company noted that “exceptional” rainfall deficits have put supplies for communities in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight at direct risk. UK Environment Secretary Angela Eagle will make the final decision on the request, which would mark the first such ban imposed in the country since May 2006.
Extreme dry conditions have also created tinder-dry vegetation that has fueled a sharp rise in wildfire activity across the UK. The most prominent active blaze this week has been burning across the New Forest in southern England, and new data from the National Fire Chiefs Council shows England and Wales have already recorded 1,017 wildfires so far this year – matching last year’s record-breaking total. While the UK’s wildfire crisis has not reached the devastating scale seen in France, Greece and Spain this summer, it serves as clear evidence that the nation must adapt to a new climate reality.
With extreme heat continuing to grip large swathes of the country, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced this week that he is considering a national ban on disposable barbecues, a common source of accidental wildfire ignitions during dry, hot conditions. “I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear,” Burnham said. “People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.”