UK braces for highest-ever temperatures of up to 40 C as heatwave continues

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) - British authorities are set to reveal plans for an emergency response to the current heatwave as soaring temperatures are predicted to be reaching a record-breaking 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in a few days.

A high-level security Cabinet meeting was held at Downing Street as the Met Office extended the previously issued amber warning.

According to reports, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) could declare a “level four emergency” if the heat becomes so severe that “illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy.”

“There’s a possibility of a level four heatwave. If it gets above 104F (40C), then it is likely to be a level four heatwave for the first time,” a spokesperson was quoted to have said by the Daily Telegraph.

“Exceptionally high temperatures across parts of England and Wales, now updated to extend into Monday,” a statement from the Met Office said.

The record high temperature ever recorded in the UK is 38.7 C recorded on July 25, 2019.