Extreme heat: is the UK becoming a 40C country? – podcast

Extreme heat: is the UK becoming a 40C country? – podcast 00:00:00 00:00:00 Met Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for England, with temperatures potentially reaching 40C (104F) in some places. Europe is also dealing with a debilitating heatwave, with schools closed, trains cancelled and France even restricting the consumption of alcohol outdoors to take pressure off the emergency services. The high temperatures coincide with the coming El Niño, which some scientists have nicknamed Godzilla for its predicted strength. To find out whether the two are linked, Ian Sample hears from our Europe climate correspondent, Ajit Niranjan. He explains why it’s so hot, why we could be in for even worse and how we can keep as cool as possible Clips: Sky News, BBC, Arirang News El Niño is back with a vengeance – and fears of ‘Godzilla’ strength may be the least of our worries Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Explore more on these topics Extreme heat Science Weekly Climate crisis Extreme weather Europe El Niño southern oscillation