It is getting hotter! The temperatures needed for it to officially be a heatwave are increased across eight counties of England
- The temperature at which a heatwave is declared is to be raised in eight counties
- A heatwave occurs when a certain temperature is hit for three days in a row
- Previous heatwave thresholds were based on the climate between 1981-2010
The temperature at which a heatwave is declared is being increased in eight counties as the climate warms.
Heatwaves are called when an area has at least three days in a row with daily maximums hitting or exceeding a threshold.
Levels are designed to be relative to the current climate and, with global warming pushing up UK temperatures, thresholds are being increased for parts of England.
The threshold for when a heatwave is declared is being raised in eight counties across the UK, as temperatures have continued to rise (pictured: people enjoying a heatwave in Hyde Park last year)
A study by the Met Office in 2018 found that a heatwave in the UK was 30 times more likely to occur now than in 1750 (file photo)
The Met Office said the three-day heatwave threshold will rise from 27C (81F) to 28C (82F) for Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
In Lincolnshire it will go up from 26C (79F) to 27C and in the East Riding of Yorkshire from 25C (77F) to 26C.
Dr Mark McCarthy, of the Met Office, said heatwaves were extreme weather events that climate change is making more likely.
The old thresholds were based on climate from 1981-2010, the new from 1991-2020.
Dr McCarthy said: ‘Climate statistics over time reveal an undeniable warming trend for the UK.
Heatwave thresholds, which are being altered, are separate from extreme heat warnings, which highlight very high temperatures to help protect lives and property
‘Temperature rise has been greatest across parts of central and eastern England where they have increased by more than 1.0C in some locations, while further north areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland have seen temperatures rise by closer to 0.7C.’
And he said: ‘Although heatwaves are extreme weather events, research shows that climate change is making these events more likely.
‘A scientific study by the Met Office into the Summer 2018 heatwave in the UK showed that it was 30 times more likely to occur now than in 1750 because of the higher concentration of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere.
‘As greenhouse gas concentrations increase, heatwaves of similar intensity are projected to become even more frequent, perhaps occurring as regularly as every other year.’
Previous heatwave thresholds were based on the climate in the period 1981-2010, and were intended to be reviewed and revised to represent heatwaves relative to the current climate, the Met Office said.
The heatwave thresholds are separate from extreme heat warnings, which highlight very high temperatures to help protect lives and property, and the UK Health Security Agency heat-health alert, issued in England only, to flag up the impact of prolonged heat on public health.
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