<div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/VideoObject"><meta itemprop="uploadDate" content="Mon Jul 18 2022 14:24:22 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)"/><meta itemprop="name" content="Europe battles uncontrollable wildfires and record-breaking heat"/><meta itemprop="description" content="People living in Spain, Portugal and France are battling record-breaking heat which is linked to more than 1,000 deaths. "/><meta itemprop="duration" content="P0Y0M0DT0H2M18S" /><meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" content="https://content.jwplatform.com/thumbs/pmJhAcxe-960.jpg"/><meta itemprop="contentUrl" content="https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/pmJhAcxe-13D6EJbw.mp4"/><script src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/pmJhAcxe-pF5qn7BW.js"></script></div>

Britain was on course for its hottest day on record on Monday with temperatures forecast to hit 40C for the first time, forcing train companies to cancel services, schools to close early and ministers to urge the public to stay at home.

Much of Europe is baking in a heatwave that has pushed temperatures into the mid-40s Celsius in some regions, with [wildfires raging across tinder-dry countryside in Portugal, Spain and France](https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/southern-europe-battles-wildfires-as-heat-wave-spreads-north).

Britain's government triggered a "national emergency" alert as temperatures were forecast to surpass the 38.7C recorded in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden in 2019 on Monday and Tuesday.

"We've got a difficult 48 hours coming," Kit Malthouse, a minister in charge of government coordination, told BBC radio.

<a href="https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1549039025788309504" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="0">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/BNONews/status/1549039025788309504</a>

London's metro network imposed temporary speed restrictions for Monday and Tuesday, meaning it would run a reduced service with journeys taking longer than normal. It urged commuters to only travel if essential.

The national rail network also urged passengers to stay at home and said some services - including a key route between northeastern England and London - would not run during parts of Tuesday.

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__SEE ALSO: [Southern Europe battles wildfires as heat wave spreads north](https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/southern-europe-battles-wildfires-as-heat-wave-spreads-north)__

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Jake Kelly from Network Rail said he hoped normal operations would resume on Wednesday, when temperatures are forecast to fall, but that would depend on "the damage that the weather does to the infrastructure over the next couple of days".

![REUTERS - UK heatwave](//images.ctfassets.net/c55i45ef3o2a/7mIToXOBcvwHD5P3mZWSuT/ab95df35429d33b0b606e6b278ec0f50/2022-07-18T104428Z_1_LYNXMPEI6H0CS_RTROPTP_4_EUROPE-WEATHER-BRITAIN.JPG)
*A member of the Queen's Guard receives water to drink during the hot weather, outside Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, July 18, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley*

### __High alert__

The government urged schools to stay open but many were due to close earlier than usual, normal uniform demands were ditched and end-of-term sports days were cancelled. Some schools were shut, resorting to lockdown-style online lessons.

And at least one major zoo, at Chester, said it would close for two days, while London Zoo and Whipsnade Zoo said many animals would be able to retreat to "cool zones" and some exhibits might be closed.

![NASA - heatmap](//images.ctfassets.net/c55i45ef3o2a/4XKHUS25JOtNay1stsTlA9/0b2234e2fefe6b99d4dde0d8d022686a/NASA_-_heatmap.png)

*In June and July 2022, heatwaves struck Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, as temperatures climbed above 40 degrees Celsius.The map above shows the surface air temperatures across most of the Eastern Hemisphere on July 13, 2022. Courtesy: [NASA Earth Observatory](https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/150083/heatwaves-and-fires-scorch-europe-africa-and-asia?utm_source=TWITTER&utm_medium=NASAEarth&utm_campaign=NASASocial&linkId=173253037&s=15)*

### __WATCH: What longer, hotter, and more frequent heat waves means for your health__

<div itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/VideoObject"><meta itemprop="uploadDate" content="Mon Jul 12 2021 14:18:07 GMT-0400 (Eastern Daylight Time)"/><meta itemprop="name" content="What longer, hotter, and more frequent heat waves means for your health"/><meta itemprop="description" content="The Weather Network&#39;s Rachel Schoutsen talks to experts about the rise in health issues and the risk to Canadians as temperatures increase."/><meta itemprop="duration" content="P0Y0M0DT0H4M11S" /><meta itemprop="thumbnailUrl" content="https://content.jwplatform.com/thumbs/WjtQwXOk-960.jpg"/><meta itemprop="contentUrl" content="https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/WjtQwXOk-13D6EJbw.mp4"/><script src="https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/WjtQwXOk-WnAZH7xE.js"></script></div>

Some factories also brought their opening hours forward, to prevent workers on the hottest jobs, such as welding, from falling ill.

The Health Security Agency (UKHSA) raised the heat health warning to Level 4 for England for Monday and Tuesday.

Britain's Meteorological Office defines a Level 4 alert as a national emergency, to be used when a heatwave "is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups".

<a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisScottWx/status/1549048273821962241" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="0">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/ChrisScottWx/status/1549048273821962241</a>

The Met Office said "substantial" changes in working practices and daily routines would be required, and there was a high risk of failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment, potentially leading to localised loss of power, water or mobile phone services.

Malthouse said the government was prepared for the extreme weather and would seek to learn lessons from it.

"We definitely need to adapt the way we build buildings, the way we operate and look at some of our infrastructure in the light of what seems to be an increasing frequency of these kinds of events," he said.

*(Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by William Schomberg and Alex Richardson)*


Britain on course for hottest day on record

Reuters

Severe

"We've got a difficult 48 hours coming," Kit Malthouse, a minister in charge of government coordination, told BBC radio.

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