Met Office says 40C heatwaves could happen more often in stark warning
Temperatures of 40C had never been recorded in the UK until July 19 last year, but they could be appearing as frequently as every three years by 2100, the forecaster has warned
The Met Office has warned that sweltering heatwaves could be more frequent in the UK over the next few years.
Temperatures of 40C had never been recorded in the UK until July 19 last year, but they could be appearing as frequently as every three years by 2100 if greenhouse gas emissions are not curtailed, the Met Office has said.
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As human beings continue to emit greenhouse gas emissions through energy use, agriculture, waste and industry, the chances of more extreme heat events like last July are growing higher.
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"The chance of reaching the 40C threshold in the UK is now around one per cent chance per year in the present climate.
"This could increase to around 6.7 per cent chance per year by 2100 under a medium-emissions scenario and 28.6 per cent chance per year by 2100 under the high-emissions scenario."
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Parliament has recently opened a new scrutiny committee examining heat resilience and sustainable cooling but beyond that little has emerged in the year since temperatures soared to previously unseen heights.
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