Searing UK heat leaves schools, hospitals and transport networks struggling to cope

The UN chief António Guterres said London was ‘cooking’. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images View image in fullscreen The UN chief António Guterres said London was ‘cooking’. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Searing UK heat leaves schools, hospitals and transport networks struggling to cope Temperature on Tuesday hits high of 34.6C in Surrey, England, with heatwave forecast to get more intense on Wednesday and Thursday Searing heat has swept the UK with schools, hospitals, transport networks and water companies struggling to cope with the extreme temperatures caused by climate breakdown. Temperatures hit highs of 34.6C in Wisley in Surrey, the Met Office said on Tuesday, with the UN chief warning that London was “cooking”. South-east England is expected to see temperatures of 38C on Wednesday and a maximum of 39C on Thursday. Those dizzying thermometer readings would shatter the previous June record of 35.6C, first set in in 1957 and reached again in 1976, and come close to the all-time milestone of 40.3C, reached in July 2022, which marked the first time anywhere in the UK experienced anything above 40C. Chart showing UK June temperatures over past 40 years The extreme heat came amid urgent warnings that the UK’s infrastructure was “built for a climate that no longer exists”. Coping measures implemented this week include: Reduced rail speeds and services; Hospital patient appointments cancelled; School closures across southern England and Wales; Hosepipe bans in south-east England; Spikes in sales of fans, ice-cream makers and sun cream. The UK’s Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday, while a red heat health alert was issued in England indicating “a risk to life for even the healthy population”. Much of western Europe is sweltering in oppressive heat trapped by an area of high pressure, with temperatures pushed abnormally high by the blanket of carbon pollution smothering the Earth. Climate breakdown has added 2C to 4C to the current heatwave, according to a rapid analysis published by ClimaMeter on Monday. France saw its hottest night on record on Monday, followed by its hottest day on record on Tuesday, according to averaged temperature data for the country from Météo-France. Temperatures reached highs of 44.3C as officials said they had recorded 40 deaths from drowning as people sought to escape the heat. Several people also drowned in Germany over the weekend. In Spain, one in every eight weather stations recorded temperatures above 40C on Monday, with highs of 44C expected on Tuesday. Spain’s weather agency, Aemet, warned of “extraordinary danger”. View image in fullscreen A man tries to cool off in Madrid, Spain. Photograph: Mohammed Salem/Reuters The combination of high heat and humidity has alarmed doctors, who have advised people to drink water, stay in the shade, and check in on vulnerable friends and neighbours. António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said in a speech at London Climate Action Week on