As We Mark the 50th Anniversary of the 1976 Heatwave: UK Set to Break June 1976 Temperature Record
nathan.reece@r…
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Heatwave, the Met Office has issued a red extreme heat warning, with temperatures expected to reach 39°C in parts of the South and South East on Wednesday and Thursday this week. This would break the June record of 35.6°C, set in 1976, by more than 3 degrees.
It was also announced on the 50th anniversary of 1976 that Britain could reach peak temperatures of 45°C by 2056, with more extreme heatwaves than those experienced in 1976 expected to significantly change life in the UK over the coming decades.
A plausible scenario for 23 June 2056, produced by the Met Office, shows peak temperatures of 45°C in England, 38°C in Scotland, 41°C in Wales and 30°C in Belfast. This 14-day heatwave scenario sees the UK sustain temperatures above 40°C for nine consecutive days and is only plausible because of high greenhouse gas emissions, the majority of which come from burning fossil fuels.
Weather presenters and meteorologists Laura Tobin, Peter Gibbs and Clare Nasir presented the 2056 forecast at an event marking the anniversary at The Lightroom in King’s Cross. The event was delivered in partnership with the Royal Meteorological Society, the University of Reading, Newcastle University, the Met Office, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology and the Climate+ Co-Centre.
Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said:
“In the summer of 1976, I was an eight-year-old growing up in Yorkshire. Parts of the region had restrictions on water supplies, with no running water in our house and a standpipe in the road. I thought it was great fun queuing with my friends to fill up pots and pans and carry them home for my mum to use. Looking back, I wonder how she coped bringing up three young children, but at the time I was completely unaware of the wider drought crisis unfolding around us.
What many people remember as a glorious summer also brought real hardship to communities across the country. Heatwaves will become more frequent and more severe over the coming decades. It will be mothers, children, older people and the most vulnerable who suffer most unless we act now to ensure our homes, communities and public services are prepared for a much hotter future.”
