Extreme heatwave in England

 

Monday and Tuesday, 18th and 19th of July 2022 saw record temperatures in  the UK when a temperature of over 40° C was recorded.

The previous week had been mostly hot and the news was full of warnings about the forthcoming extreme heat. The biggest problem is that the UK is not geared up for heat. Houses are designed for cold weather, not hot. Very few houses have air conditioning or even built in fans.

11 July it was 32° C in London. 15 July this weather map showed forecasted temperatures -

Over the weekend there were constant reminders and of course the inevitable news that transport would be disrupted as roads and rails etc can't cope with extreme heat.

Mon 18 July the highest ever tem;perature in UK was recorded -

And that night, the temperature didn't drop below 25° C in London.

Tue 19 broke the record of the previous day, with temperatures of over 40° C, the first time ever for the UK. At least it was a dry heat, about 18% humidity.

Phewwwwwwwwww.

Late that evening the heat started to lessen but it was still a very hot night, especially as the buildings hadn't had a chance to cool down. And sadly there were many fires around London, with homes and businesses destroyed.

Map from Sky News -

A major fire in Wennington -

Rain and thunderstorms were forecast, but didn't happen. Thankfully Wed 20th only reached 26° C .

Spring equinox and heatwave in Malaysia

Sunday 20 March 2016 is the spring equinox and at the same time there is a heatwave in Malaysia. From The Star,
"Be prepared for a double whammy and steaming hot afternoons for the rest of the month.
The situation will be made all the more unbearable with the equinox , when the sun shines directly over the Equator, and the heatwave caused by the El Nino phenomenon.
The heatwave was expected to continue until the end of the month.

Chuping, Perlis recorded the highest temperature in the country this month at 39°C on Monday and Friday.  The temperature in Petaling Jaya at 5pm Friday was 33°C while Alor Setar recorded 36°C; Ipoh and Seberang Perai 35°C; Kuala Pilah, Negri Sembilan, 34°C; Senai, Johor, 34°C; and Malacca, 33°C."

The March vernal equinox is when the sun appears to cross the equator from south to north. The day is roughly the same length as the night.

I escaped from the heat in KL and went to Bali for a few days. The sky was clear and the visibility was so clear. Meanwhile in Klang Valley, Malaysia, the haze was definitely returning, The Star on Monday 21 March "The Education Ministry will announce today whether schools in certain areas of the country will be closed due to the hot weather, even as the haze level continues to rise in the Klang Valley. The ministry was monitoring the hot weather situation and on Saturday, it was found that Kedah and Perlis recorded temperatures as high as 39.2°C."
"Tangau also attributed the haze in the Klang Valley to the dry weather, open burning and local bush fires."

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The heat only lessened in the last week in April when the interseason rains started. April was horribly hazy.

The heat continues in Malaysia

There has been no let up in the heat this month.

Now the government has a committe to discuss the weather.

Bits of interest -

Scorching heat: The Equinox phenomenon, a result of the sun shining directly over the Equator. — Bernama

“The El Nino phenomenon did not just occur this year, it hit us in 1997 and 1998, and it happens from time to time, with varying degrees of intensity.”

“According to the Meteoro-logical Department, a ‘heatwave’ is declared when the temperature of an area is over 35°C for five days in a row, or over 37 °C for three days in a row.

“But the heatwave is only declared at the areas that records the trend, not the whole country.”

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It is quite hazy as well, although the media calls it "ground level ozone"!!!!!!!!!!

Scorching heat, Malaysia, March 2016

It's hot. It's been horribly hot at night. And this is the reason :

The Star, Saturday 12 March 2016

Scorching heat on March 20

Scorching heat is forecast on March 20 due to the equinox phenomenon.
The current hot spell could cause a heatwave if the temperature exceeds 35°C for five straight days, or 37°C for three consecutive days, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Wilfred Madius Tangau.

The highest temperature was recorded on Thursday in Alor Setar, and Chuping (Perlis) where it peaked at 38.5°C.

If the rain continued to stay away, then Kedah, Perlis and Penang could record even higher temperatures.

As for the Klang Valley, the nights will be hotter than usual.

The hot and dry weather was projected to ease by the end of the month following the inter-monsoon season where there would be more rain and thunderstorms in the evening.

On another matter, the Depart­ment of the Environment said yesterday that the Air Pollutant Index (API) readings recorded in the Klang Valley was due to ground level ozone and not the PM10 fine dust that is part of a haze.

Ground level ozone is a secondary pollutant formed by chemical reactions triggered by the presence of ultraviolet rays in sunlight.

“The API is based on five parameter pollutants – PM10 (indicator of haze), SO2, NO2, CO and ground level ozone (O3). In the API calculation, the most prominent parameter becomes the API of that particular time or hour,” the DOE said.

“The contributing factor to high ground level ozone is due to high intensity sunlight since the weather now is very hot and dry, resulting from the El Nino.”

Moderate API readings were recorded in Petaling Jaya at 103, Shah Alam (103) and Batu Muda (124) at 2pm yesterday.

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Wednesday, 9 March 2016
Weather expected to return to normal in June

The dry and hot weather due to the El Nino phenomenon is expected to return to normal beginning June.

The strong El Nino level detected between last December and January was found to be dropping and expected to weaken further.

The change of the monsoon in April also expected to reduce the effect of the hot weather with forecasts of rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

Although the El Nino will be in neutral condition beginning June, we will experience a dry season during the southwest monsoon from May to Sept­ember.

The strongest El Nino phenomenon that swept the country was in 1997/1998 with a temperature of 40.1 degree Celsius recorded in Chuping, Perlis. — Bernama

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The heat and haze lasted until the 3rd week in April, then the rains started.