London (CNN) Londoners have been advised not to use the city’s transport network if not for “essential travel” amid a suffocating heat wave across western Europe.
The UK Met Office issued an extreme amber heat warning from Sunday to Tuesday, as temperatures are likely to exceed the country’s record temperature of 38.7 Celsius (101.7 degrees Fahrenheit degrees Fahrenheit) 2019, creating a risk to passengers.
“Due to the expected very hot weather next week, customers should only use the London transport network for essential travel,” said Andy Lord, Director General of Transport for London (TfL).
Temporary speed restrictions will be put in place on London’s tube and train services to “keep everyone safe,” Lord added, urging passengers to “carry water at all times”.
Extremely hot temperatures can damage power lines and signaling equipment. TfL said it will try to make the services work well and use larger inspections to mitigate the impact of the extreme heat.
Regular track temperature controls will be carried out to prevent the tracks from tilting or misaligning, TfL said in a statement. The network will also check the air conditioning units and air cooling systems of the Tube network on double-decker buses in the capital.
Drivers are also encouraged not to drive during the hottest days of the day.
‘Lives are at risk’
The UK Met Office said people’s lives are in danger as temperatures could reach 40C (104F) early next week. To see also : Biden calls the former head of DARPA as scientific advisor.
He issued the first red alert for extreme heat in parts of the country, including London and Manchester, saying the alert was a “very serious situation”.
“If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbors, now is the time to make sure they are putting in place the right measures to deal with the heat, if we believe the forecast will be in the red warning zone, then people’s lives are in danger,” Met Office spokeswoman Grahame said.
The UK Health Safety Agency also increased the heat warning from three levels to four levels – the equivalent of a “national emergency”.
The fires destroyed Spain, France and Portugal
Wildfires ravage Spain, France and Portugal
Elsewhere in Europe, fires ravaged parts of Spain, France and Portugal on Friday with scorching heat, burning forests and causing extensive evacuations. To see also : FACT SHEET: Health Department leaders join Biden Administration’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.
More than 400 people were evacuated from Mijas, a picturesque village in Malaga (southern Spain), when a new forest fire broke out, Reuters reported. About 20 miles (12.4 miles) away, Torremolinos beachgoers saw smoke coming near coastal hotels. Catalan authorities suspended sports and camping activities in 275 villages and towns to prevent fire hazards.
The flames have also taken over parts of western Extremadura in Spain, as well as the region of central Castile and Leon. The fires threaten historic landmarks, including the 16th century. a 16th-century monastery and a national park, and more than 18,500 acres of forest have been destroyed.
Reuters reported that water-bombing planes and more than 1,000 firefighters have been deployed in southwestern France to deal with two fires that have exacerbated strong winds and blaze conditions. In addition, 11,300 people have been evacuated since the fires near the Dune du Pilat and Landiras, where about 18,000 hectares of land have been burned.
Temperatures were expected to exceed 40C in Portugal, with five districts on red alert for extreme heat and more than 1,000 firefighters withstood 17 fires, according to authorities.
There was a rise in deaths caused by heat waves in western Europe. Portugal recorded 238 excessive deaths from 7 to 13 July, according to the country’s DGS health authority. Spain recorded 237 excessive deaths between July 10 and July 14, according to estimates by the country’s Ministry of Health. The death toll could rise further as the July 15 data is yet to be released. In June, 829 excessive deaths were recorded in Spain as a result of the heat, the Ministry of Health said.
The climate crisis is pushing for extreme weather
Climate crisis pushes extreme weather
Firefighters ’scenes of fires fighting and melting in extreme heat may seem dystopian, but UK advertisers say these phenomena are a result of the ongoing climate crisis. Read also : Problems in the global food supply chain require solutions: disruption of the grain trade can affect food security.
In the summer of 2020, meteorologists at the UK Met Office used climate projections to predict the weather forecast for 23 July 2050, and the results are similar to forecasts for Monday and Tuesday.
“Today’s forecast for Tuesday is pretty much the same for big places in the country,” Simon Lee, an atmospheric scientist at Columbia University in New York, said on Friday, adding in a subsequent post that “everything that comes on Tuesday gives us an insight.” to the future. ‘
“We hoped we wouldn’t get to this state,” climate allocation scientist Nikos Christidis of the Met Office said in a statement. “Climate change has already had an impact on the extreme probability of temperatures in the UK. The chances of seeing 40 ° C days in the UK may be 10 times higher than in a natural climate that has not been affected by human influence in the current climate.”
The chance of exceeding 40 degrees is “increasing rapidly,” Christidis said.
CNN’s Manveena Suri, Angela Fritz and Rachel Ramirez helped spread the word.
