Record heat impacts portions of Europe
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It was extremely hot for western Europe on Monday and Tuesday. The all-time high of 38.7 degrees Celsius (101.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in the UK was beaten in 29 different locations on Tuesday. Out of those observations, the highest was in Coningsby at 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit.
Monday, July 18 was also an extremely hot day that recorded a top 5 hottest temperature in the UK all-time. The Royal Air Force on Monday had to shutdown the largest air base because the “runway was melted”. Average highs this time of year tend to be in 70s (Fahrenheit), so this kind of heat is unprecedented and tough to deal with for residents. According to a British report, under 5 percent of the homes in England have air conditioning. This makes the heat especially hard to deal with for a place that isn’t used to seeing temperatures anywhere close to this hot.
The UK is not the only one that struggled with this heat. France had multiple daily record temperatures broken as well as Ireland. Portugal and Spain continue to deal with multiple wild fires caused by the current heat wave in place. Temperatures will not be as high for western Europe in the coming days with above normal heat shifting eastward.
