Holiday Weekend Starts with Record Temperature
FRI MAY 27th 2005
Britons were sweltering in the highest May temperature for more than 50 years today – but forecasters warned of cooler weather for the Bank Holiday weekend.
Millions of people are expected to head for the coast over the three-day break to take advantage of time off work.
But experts warned the UK has seen the best of the weekend weather today – when temperatures reached a sizzling 31.2C (88F) in London, and 30.7C ( 87F) at Heathrow.
Parts of Kent also topped 30C (86F), although Scotland and Northern Ireland have experienced some cloud and showers.
Forecasters declared it the hottest day in May since 1953 – the all-time record temperature was 33C (91.4F) in 1944.
The weather will take a turn tonight, leaving Britons who prayed for sunshine this weekend sorely disappointed.
Although it will be dry in most areas, it will feel much cooler, with temperatures barely scraping into the high teens.
Roads are expected to be jammed across the weekend as an estimated 18 million people head for beaches and tourist attractions.
Traffic hotspots are likely to include Cardiff, where the football play-off finals will be taking place, along with coastal resorts, national parks, and the routes to airports and ports.
-justin-
UK basks in hottest May temps since 1953
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Matt-hurricanewatcher
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Reached 29.1C here, whilst it was only 10C in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Much cooler today, just 15.5C at the moment. I believe yesterdays 31.6C at Gravesend was the highest temp this early in the year for 83 years.
We are only 0.1C above the monthly average so far this month. The North Atlantic Drift hasn't stopped yet........
Much cooler today, just 15.5C at the moment. I believe yesterdays 31.6C at Gravesend was the highest temp this early in the year for 83 years.
Matt-hurricanewatcher wrote:I thought they suppose to be cooling off? With the Gulf stream in all that?
We are only 0.1C above the monthly average so far this month. The North Atlantic Drift hasn't stopped yet........
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TexasStooge
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tropicana
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UK set for scorching weekend
Fri June 17 2005
Forecasters are predicting the hottest weekend of the year so far, with temperatures expected to hit near 32C (90F).
Parts of England and Wales will be hotter than Tunisia on Sunday and the Met Office is warning fair-skinned people of a very high risk of sunburn.
Scotland is also expected to enjoy good weather with temperatures reaching 28C, but Northern Ireland will be cooler.
The hot weather is predicted to cause thundery showers on Sunday and Monday, leading to slightly cooler weather.
A Met Office statement read: "With soaring temperatures, concerns rise for people's wellbeing.
"The sun is at its strongest at this time of year and sunburn is a real hazard."
During the heatwave of 2003 temperatures hit a high of 38C in Gravesend, Kent, in August.
Some 27,000 people across Europe died directly because of the heat.
In the UK there were 2,000 deaths caused by the heat - 85% of which were people aged 75 and over.
Health experts say it takes just two consecutive days of heatwave temperatures to have a significant effect on health.
After the 2003 heatwave, the government instituted a warning system which identified four levels of risk.
Currently, this weekend is at level one, the lowest risk level, where general vigilance is urged.
-justin-
Fri June 17 2005
Forecasters are predicting the hottest weekend of the year so far, with temperatures expected to hit near 32C (90F).
Parts of England and Wales will be hotter than Tunisia on Sunday and the Met Office is warning fair-skinned people of a very high risk of sunburn.
Scotland is also expected to enjoy good weather with temperatures reaching 28C, but Northern Ireland will be cooler.
The hot weather is predicted to cause thundery showers on Sunday and Monday, leading to slightly cooler weather.
A Met Office statement read: "With soaring temperatures, concerns rise for people's wellbeing.
"The sun is at its strongest at this time of year and sunburn is a real hazard."
During the heatwave of 2003 temperatures hit a high of 38C in Gravesend, Kent, in August.
Some 27,000 people across Europe died directly because of the heat.
In the UK there were 2,000 deaths caused by the heat - 85% of which were people aged 75 and over.
Health experts say it takes just two consecutive days of heatwave temperatures to have a significant effect on health.
After the 2003 heatwave, the government instituted a warning system which identified four levels of risk.
Currently, this weekend is at level one, the lowest risk level, where general vigilance is urged.
-justin-
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tropicana
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Britain enjoyed the warmest June day for nearly 30 years Sunday as hot, humid air swept across from the Caribbean.
SUN JUNE 19 2005
Temperatures reached 33C (91.4F) at the Meteorological Centre in Holborn, central London, and there were unconfirmed reports of similar figures at Wyton in Cambridgeshire.
That was only exceeded in 1976, when the temperature reached 35.6C (96F) in Southampton, a record for June.
But there were thunderstorms across mid-Wales, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle as temperatures of 30C (86F) dropped to 18C (64F) as a result of incoming cold air.
In Dudley in the West Midlands there were reports of storms sending down massive hail stones. Firemen were called to deal with flash flooding in Wrexham and Mold in Wales.
In the South, beaches were packed and city parks quickly filled with visitors keen to make the most of the weather.
There was a four-mile tailback of traffic trying to get into Bournemouth in Dorset and at the Isle of Wight Zoo, Nahla, a six-year-old lioness, had to be treated for sunburn to her nose.
Some of the 27,000 cyclists on the London to Brighton bike ride said stretches of the road were melting at Ditchling, Sussex.
Nigel Bolton, senior forecaster at the Met Office, said there would be fine weather for the rest of the week - apart from the risk of thunderstorms in London and some rain in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Monday.
"Temperatures will be down on those of Sunday but it will warm up again later in the week," he said. "The weather has been muggy because it has been caused by hot air from the Caribbean coming a little bit further than usual but later in the week it will be less close as we settle into a few days of fine summer weather."
There has also been good weather across Spain, Italy, France, Poland and Scandinavia, with temperatures in Madrid reaching 37C (98.6F).
But any hopes of unbroken sunshine across the Wimbledon fortnight look set to be dashed as forecasters predict an unsettled weekend.
There were also a number of accidents in rivers and lakes as people tried to cool off. On Friday night a 30-year-old man drowned at a lake in Stevenage, Herts, after a family barbecue on the banks.
Emergency services were called to Fairlands Lake at about 8.50 pm after receiving calls that the man was in trouble in the middle of the boating lake.
Beds and Herts Ambulance Service took him to Lister Hospital, where he was pronounced dead two hours later.
A 35-year-old man got into difficulties as he tried to swim across Caldecott Lake in Milton Keynes with a friend on Saturday. A police helicopter searched the area and the man's body was recovered 90 minutes later at 6.05pm. Sunday a teenager died trying to swim across the Thames with a friend.
The boys, both 16, were attempting to cross the river near Lower Hampton Road in Sunbury, west London, when one of them got into difficulty.
His friend called for help and was rescued by a passing boat. Surrey emergency services, who received a 999 call at 12.20pm, pulled the other boy from the water and took him to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, where he later died.
However, in Scotland rain and cloud caused problems for rescuers trying to get to four adults, two teenagers and two children aged three, who were trapped on a small island in the middle of the River Almond at a Tayside beauty spot, five miles east of Crieff.
An RAF mountain rescue team and a fast-water police rescue specialist headed for the scene as flood waters rose around the group.
A Royal Navy Sea King rescue helicopter scrambled from Prestwick eventually managed to reach the group and winch them on board.
-justin-
SUN JUNE 19 2005
Temperatures reached 33C (91.4F) at the Meteorological Centre in Holborn, central London, and there were unconfirmed reports of similar figures at Wyton in Cambridgeshire.
That was only exceeded in 1976, when the temperature reached 35.6C (96F) in Southampton, a record for June.
But there were thunderstorms across mid-Wales, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle as temperatures of 30C (86F) dropped to 18C (64F) as a result of incoming cold air.
In Dudley in the West Midlands there were reports of storms sending down massive hail stones. Firemen were called to deal with flash flooding in Wrexham and Mold in Wales.
In the South, beaches were packed and city parks quickly filled with visitors keen to make the most of the weather.
There was a four-mile tailback of traffic trying to get into Bournemouth in Dorset and at the Isle of Wight Zoo, Nahla, a six-year-old lioness, had to be treated for sunburn to her nose.
Some of the 27,000 cyclists on the London to Brighton bike ride said stretches of the road were melting at Ditchling, Sussex.
Nigel Bolton, senior forecaster at the Met Office, said there would be fine weather for the rest of the week - apart from the risk of thunderstorms in London and some rain in Northern Ireland and western Scotland on Monday.
"Temperatures will be down on those of Sunday but it will warm up again later in the week," he said. "The weather has been muggy because it has been caused by hot air from the Caribbean coming a little bit further than usual but later in the week it will be less close as we settle into a few days of fine summer weather."
There has also been good weather across Spain, Italy, France, Poland and Scandinavia, with temperatures in Madrid reaching 37C (98.6F).
But any hopes of unbroken sunshine across the Wimbledon fortnight look set to be dashed as forecasters predict an unsettled weekend.
There were also a number of accidents in rivers and lakes as people tried to cool off. On Friday night a 30-year-old man drowned at a lake in Stevenage, Herts, after a family barbecue on the banks.
Emergency services were called to Fairlands Lake at about 8.50 pm after receiving calls that the man was in trouble in the middle of the boating lake.
Beds and Herts Ambulance Service took him to Lister Hospital, where he was pronounced dead two hours later.
A 35-year-old man got into difficulties as he tried to swim across Caldecott Lake in Milton Keynes with a friend on Saturday. A police helicopter searched the area and the man's body was recovered 90 minutes later at 6.05pm. Sunday a teenager died trying to swim across the Thames with a friend.
The boys, both 16, were attempting to cross the river near Lower Hampton Road in Sunbury, west London, when one of them got into difficulty.
His friend called for help and was rescued by a passing boat. Surrey emergency services, who received a 999 call at 12.20pm, pulled the other boy from the water and took him to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, where he later died.
However, in Scotland rain and cloud caused problems for rescuers trying to get to four adults, two teenagers and two children aged three, who were trapped on a small island in the middle of the River Almond at a Tayside beauty spot, five miles east of Crieff.
An RAF mountain rescue team and a fast-water police rescue specialist headed for the scene as flood waters rose around the group.
A Royal Navy Sea King rescue helicopter scrambled from Prestwick eventually managed to reach the group and winch them on board.
-justin-
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tropicana
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Flash floods hit north as much of UK swelters
Mon June 20th 2005
LONDON - Flash floods washed away roads and caused millions of pounds of damage in northern England on Monday while much of the country sweltered in a heatwave. Heathrow Airport reached a warm 27.7C 82F and temperatures overnight Sunday did not drop below 19C 67F.
Two RAF helicopters were scrambled to rescue people after the river Rye burst its banks overnight near the market town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire after 70mm of rain fell in three hours, the Environment Agency said.
People were plucked to safety from trees, cars and roofs.
Police said no one died and all those reported missing had been accounted for.
One resident told BBC radio the six-foot deluge had destroyed her home.
The flood waters peaked at Helmsley at 1.37 a.m., police said.
More than 2500 people were without power in north and east Yorkshire after the floods struck, cutting off villages and devastating homes. A spokesman for electricity company YEDL said the firm hoped to have all power restored by Monday evening.
The last serious flash flood in Britain hit the Cornish village of Boscastle last summer. About 30 cars were swept out to sea and people had to be winched to safety from rooftops.
-justin-
Mon June 20th 2005
LONDON - Flash floods washed away roads and caused millions of pounds of damage in northern England on Monday while much of the country sweltered in a heatwave. Heathrow Airport reached a warm 27.7C 82F and temperatures overnight Sunday did not drop below 19C 67F.
Two RAF helicopters were scrambled to rescue people after the river Rye burst its banks overnight near the market town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire after 70mm of rain fell in three hours, the Environment Agency said.
People were plucked to safety from trees, cars and roofs.
Police said no one died and all those reported missing had been accounted for.
One resident told BBC radio the six-foot deluge had destroyed her home.
The flood waters peaked at Helmsley at 1.37 a.m., police said.
More than 2500 people were without power in north and east Yorkshire after the floods struck, cutting off villages and devastating homes. A spokesman for electricity company YEDL said the firm hoped to have all power restored by Monday evening.
The last serious flash flood in Britain hit the Cornish village of Boscastle last summer. About 30 cars were swept out to sea and people had to be winched to safety from rooftops.
-justin-
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tropicana
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Heatwave ends with thunder storms in Wales
Friday June 24th 2005
Southern England continued a trend which started last weekend on Thursday. Heathrow Airport soared to 31.1C 88F, as warm as top temperatures in Southern Florida.
Thunder storms and torrential rain have brought an abrupt end to the heatwave in Wales.
The storms blew into southern parts of the country in the early hours of Friday, with most areas affected by dawn.
A lightning strike set a house in Swansea on fire and homes in Barry and Cardiff were also struck causing damage to the buildings.
Surface water gave motorists problems, and flood watches are in place on rivers in south, mid and west Wales.
The Environment Agency has issued watches for north east Powys, including Llanidloes, Newtown and Welshpool.
Rivers between Carmarthen and Llantwit Major, and Carmarthen and Clarach Bay, north of Aberystwyth, are also under watches.
Firefighters were called to the house in Murton area of Swansea at 0515 BST after the owner reported the lightning strike.
Three crews took more than an hour to tackle the blaze in the roof.
Although fire did not break out at the house in Barry, which was struck at about 0540 BST, the roof was badly damaged. A property in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff was also struck with damage to the electric fuse box and split a gas pipe.
The M4 was severely affected by heavy rain, which led to surface water and spray.
A 50mph speed restriction were imposed on part of the motorway in south Wales because of particularly poor driving conditions.
-justin-
Friday June 24th 2005
Southern England continued a trend which started last weekend on Thursday. Heathrow Airport soared to 31.1C 88F, as warm as top temperatures in Southern Florida.
Thunder storms and torrential rain have brought an abrupt end to the heatwave in Wales.
The storms blew into southern parts of the country in the early hours of Friday, with most areas affected by dawn.
A lightning strike set a house in Swansea on fire and homes in Barry and Cardiff were also struck causing damage to the buildings.
Surface water gave motorists problems, and flood watches are in place on rivers in south, mid and west Wales.
The Environment Agency has issued watches for north east Powys, including Llanidloes, Newtown and Welshpool.
Rivers between Carmarthen and Llantwit Major, and Carmarthen and Clarach Bay, north of Aberystwyth, are also under watches.
Firefighters were called to the house in Murton area of Swansea at 0515 BST after the owner reported the lightning strike.
Three crews took more than an hour to tackle the blaze in the roof.
Although fire did not break out at the house in Barry, which was struck at about 0540 BST, the roof was badly damaged. A property in the Pentwyn area of Cardiff was also struck with damage to the electric fuse box and split a gas pipe.
The M4 was severely affected by heavy rain, which led to surface water and spray.
A 50mph speed restriction were imposed on part of the motorway in south Wales because of particularly poor driving conditions.
-justin-
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