The UK Health Security Agency has issued heat alerts for the Midlands and southeast England, in effect from Friday 22 to Wednesday 27 May. Temperatures of up to 30°C are expected over the bank holiday weekend, which could mark the earliest date in over 70 years to reach that level if exceeded before Monday. A heatwave is defined as three consecutive days above thresholds such as 28°C in London.
Thermal sensors and climate data to predict heatwaves 🌡️
The alerts are based on weather prediction models that integrate data from ground stations, ocean buoys, and satellites. State-of-the-art thermal sensors measure infrared radiation to estimate surface temperature, while algorithms analyze historical patterns and air currents. These systems allow anticipating extreme events up to seven days in advance, although accuracy decreases over longer windows. The UK uses variable thresholds by county to define an official heatwave.
The British sun: an event as rare as an eclipse ☀️
The British, accustomed to debating rain as a national conversation topic, now face an existential dilemma: what to do with 30°C on a bank holiday weekend. Predictions indicate that if the sun appears, parks will fill with pale people desperately seeking shade or a cold beer. And if not, we can always blame Brexit for the bad weather, which is the only thing that works just as poorly in any climate.