Leeds weather: BBC verdict on if city will break heat record during extreme heatwave
It is going to be very hot over the next few days! ☀️
Summer has well and truly returned in Leeds and the city is facing the prospect of yet another heatwave.
An amber heat health warning is in place this week and LNER has urged rail passengers to avoid travelling if possible. Residents are being urged to take care over the coming days.
On its website, the Met Office warns: “Hot and humid weather is expected to continue through the middle of the week, with exceptionally warm temperatures both day and night.”
The forecaster adds: “Very hot weather will continue in general until at least Thursday across the highlighted region, although some variations from place to place and day by day are likely. Temperatures by day are widely expected to exceed 30 Celsius, with the hottest areas potentially peaking around 38-40 Celsius within the embedded red warning.
“Overnight, temperatures are unlikely to fall much lower than high teens Celsius, and some places will not fall below low 20s Celsius. These high temperatures will also be accompanied by high humidity.
“Cooler conditions may begin to become established from the west following this period, but confidence is low.”
Leeds experienced its hottest day ever in the summer of 2022, when temperatures of 40C were recorded. The BBC has issued a look ahead to the next few days, including today (June 24).
It is currently expected to reach highs of 31C on Wednesday, Thursday (June 25), and Friday (June 26). The forecast is showing sunny weather is expected - although there is a chance of thunderstorms later in the week.
Fredi Otto, professor of climate science at Imperial College London, said heatwaves will occur more often and with even higher temperatures “as long as emissions continue”.
She said “our homes, infrastructure, and economy are not built to cope with these conditions”, adding: “The UK has been built for a climate that just doesn’t exist.”
Professor Otto told a media briefing: “Temperatures above 35 degrees used to be extremely rare in the UK.
“They have now occurred in seven out of the last 12 years, and this sustained surge in extreme heat would not have happened without human-caused climate change.”