Met Office releases 'sobering' 45C heatwave prediction with devastating impacts

Met Office releases 'sobering' 45C heatwave prediction with devastating impacts It is 50 years since the summer of 1976, and as the record for the hottest ever June day looks set to be broken, the Met Office has issued a chilling prediction for 2056 Brits struggling to cope with this week’s heatwave have been issued a chilling warning for what could be to come in 2056. Records have been tumbling in recent years as temperatures creep higher - and there is the possibility in the coming days that we will beat the warmest day ever in the UK. The record stands at 40.3C, which came in Coningsby, Lincolnshire on July 19 2022. And while the threshold of 40C has only ever been passed on that day, by 2056 - in 30 years time - we could be seeing temperatures of 45C, according to a chilling look ahead shared by the Met Office. Another record set to fall this week is the highest June temperature of 35.6C from 1976, and 50 years on Met Office scientists are highlighting how much hotter it could get due to climate change. Professor Stephen Belcher CBE, Met Office Chief Scientist, said: “The heatwave this week will be a significant weather event, with a Red Extreme Heat warning issued. Human induced climate change has made events like this more likely and more intense. "To see temperatures like this in the UK in June is sobering. Events like this bring home the implications of climate change, with very high temperatures and humidity bringing significant health implications from heat stress, as well as impacts to a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply.” Possible highest temperatures in 2056 - 45C in England - 41C in Wales - 38C in Scotland - 30C in Northern Ireland The summer of 1976 remains one of the most significant weather events in UK history, characterised by prolonged heat and drought with widespread impacts on water resources, health and infrastructure. But the Met Office's '2056 scenario' considers how this could become more common, with the possibility of a prolonged heatwave lasting around two weeks, including nine consecutive days where temperatures exceed 40C somewhere in the UK. "This scenario is not a forecast of a specific future event, but a scientifically plausible illustration designed to help us understand how risks could change as the climate warms," states the Met Office. Prof Belcher added: “Weather is the national conversation in the UK and the summer of 1976 lives on in many memories. Since then, our climate has fundamentally changed, with average UK summers having warmed by around 1.4C. Crucially extremes have changed too. "By using data from Met Office climate projections, we can glimpse into what an event like the 1976 summer would look like in the 2050s. It is a stark realisation to see the maximum temperatures reach 45C.” [Image text:] Stornoway 30 23 34 33 Aberdeen Edinburgh 34 30 38 Newcastle Belfast 37 36 41 Hull lanchester 41 42 Norwich Birmingham 39 40 45 41 Cardits 42 London 41 Southatnpton