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Hey, London – things are hotting up. The city has enjoyed a relatively bearable level of heat over the past few days, but this weekend, it’s going to get positively sweltering. After the UK had its sunniest spring ever, non-stop sunny weather is predicted for the next week.
Highs of 27C are predicted from Wednesday to Friday and the Met Office has forecast that the temperature in the capital will be turned up to a boiling 31C on Saturday – even hotter than Ibiza and Portugal’s Algarve. That would make it the hottest day of the year in the capital so far, beating the 29C recorded at Kew Gardens on May 1.
It’ll be a tiny bit cooler on Sunday with the heat staying below 28C, and cooler again on Monday when the max temperature will apparently be 26C. At the time of writing, not one drop of rain is forecast.
A yellow heat warning has been put in place by the UK Health Security Agency for Saturday in response to the forecast, with elderly and vulnerable people in particular warned that they could be at risk. It suggests that people carry out any daily activities before or after 11pm-3pm, which will likely be the hottest part of the day. And of course, simple things like staying hydrated and out of direct sunlight, will help you keep cool.
The London Fire Brigade has also issued a warning over potential wildfires caused by the abnormally dry conditions. Charlie Pugsley, the deputy commissioner for operational policy, prevention and protection, said: ‘Extended periods of hot and dry weather can greatly increase the risk of a grass fire, and particularly when that grass is tinder dry the spread of fire can be rapid. We have seen examples of this in London as well as more recently worldwide, such as in California and South Korea.’
London in the heat
Of course, now you’re wondering: what are the the best things to do in London when it’s so bloody hot? Well, besides sitting in your flat with the curtains closed and your electric fan blasting, there are lidos and open-air pools that are perfect for a cool down and loads of beautiful beer gardens for hydrating with a nice cold pint. London’s also got lots of shaded woodlands to wander through and plenty of big, air-conditioned attractions, like the Tate Modern and British Museum, if you want to get out of the sun completely.
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