LONDON (Fwrd Axis) — The record heat is not just happening in the United States, overseas people are being told not to go outside and salt trucks spraying sand on roads to stop them from melting in a massive heat wave sweeping across the globe.
In the U.K., temperatures have hit 105 degrees which would make it hotter than 98% of the planet’s surface. Climate experts have advised those who are older to stay cool and indoors, predicting that thousands could die as a result of the heat wave.
Meanwhile, the heat has resulted in several wildfires in France, Greece, Italy, and elsewhere. Over 1,000 deaths have been confirmed over the course of the record heat wave and the U.K.’s Meteorological Office has issued its first “red warning” for extreme heat, urging people to avoid exercise, travel, or even going outside.
“The extreme heat we are forecasting right now is absolutely unprecedented,” Met Office boss Penny Endersby said in a public service broadcast last week. “Here in the U.K., we are used to treating a hot spell as a chance to go and play in the sun — this is not that sort of weather. Our lifestyles and infrastructure are not adapted to what is coming.”
The record heat comes as the U.K.’s National Health Service is already under pressure from Covid-19 and some hospitals have paused surgeries until the heat goes down.
“The NHS is planning for, and is seeing, increased demand for urgent and emergency care services to make room for that,” she said.
The sweltering heat has also taken a toll on travel. London’s Luton Airport has paused all flights after the conditions affected its runway.
The Royal Air Force was also forced to suspend flights at its Brize Norton base due to the heat wave.
“Flights are temporarily suspended to allow for essential runway repair after high surface temperatures caused a small section to lift,” the airport said in a statement.
