Heatwave hits the UK with a melted runway, burnt forests & lost lives

For the first time in history, Britain suffered under temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, as a ferocious heat wave moved northwest.

Heatwave has now made its way to Europe. For the first time in history, the United Kingdom suffered under temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, as a ferocious heat wave moved northwest, leaving a trail of raging wildfires, lost lives and evacuated homes across a Europe which is naturally ill-equipped to cope with the new reality of climate change.

While the effects of the heat was experienced in almost every country, France is dealing with humongous forest fires. More than 2,000 firefighters battled blazes that have burned nearly 80 square miles of parched forest in the Gironde area of the country’s southwest, forcing more than 37,000 people to evacuate in the past week.

Advertisement

At Heathrow Airport, the mercury hit 40.2, breaking through a limit that once seemed improbable for a country like the United Kingdom, a record that was surpassed a few hours later when Coningsby, a village in Lincolnshire, reached 40.3 degrees.

Heatwave hits UK

Network Rail, which operates the country’s rail system, issued a “do not travel” warning for trains. Which run through areas covered by a “red” warning issued by the Met Office. The red zone covered an area stretching from London north to Manchester and York.

Another shocking incident that came to light was the UK’s largest air force base was forced to halt flights. As one of its runways melted. This comes after Luton Airport had to also shut operations because of a melted runway.

Although the heat is expected to begin easing, experts warned Europeans to brace for more hot days. Ad sustained high temperatures in the future, possibly this summer and certainly in the coming years.