The United Kingdom notched its highest temperature on record Tuesday amid a scorching heat wave that is wreaking havoc in Europe.
Temperatures at Heathrow Airport in the U.K. reached 104.4°F (40.2°C), surpassing the record set just two hours before in Surrey at 102.4°F (39.1°C), according to the New York Times. The record marks the first recorded time that temperatures in the British Isles have ever surpassed 40°C. By the late afternoon, several other places had matched the record. Multiple fires even broke out in parts of London.
RECORD-BREAKING HEAT WAVE LEAVES MORE THAN 1,000 DEAD IN EUROPE
The record-breaking heat wave has caught the country by surprise, all but grounding British society to a halt. Hannah Seckman, a U.S. student studying in London, told the Washington Examiner how the heat has affected daily life in the past couple of days.
“The tube lines are delayed, so I have to wait a while to get anywhere … the Transportation for London and National Health Service is telling everyone not to use public transportation because only the newest Elizabeth Line has air conditioning. And it doesn’t go where I need it to go,” she said. “No one was prepared for this, and no one has air conditioning here. All the flights are getting delayed because the airport is melting.”
A lack of widespread air conditioning in homes has British citizens crowding to the few places that have it. Among the changes are classes being canceled or moved to one of the few places with air conditioning. In Seckman’s case, one of her classes was moved to the basement of an air-conditioned movie theater.
The record temperatures come as part of a historic heat wave that has devastated much of Europe, particularly France, Spain, and Portugal. At least 360 heat-related deaths were reported in Spain from July 10-15, along with 659 in Portugal over the same period. Wildfires displaced several thousand more in the Iberian countries.
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The scorching heat isn’t set to last much longer, however, as temperatures in the U.K. are expected to drop to the low 80s Fahrenheit by Wednesday.
