The UK's summers are getting hotter - but how prepared are we?

The UK's summers are getting hotter - but how prepared are we?Image source, Rasid Necati/Aslim Anadolu/Getty ImagesByMark PoyntingClimate reporterPublished1 minute agoMuch of the UK is facing a record-breaking heatwave, with temperatures potentially reaching 37C in parts of south-east England.That would smash the previous June high and comes hot on the heels of unprecedented heat in May too.But scientists are warning even hotter temperatures are likely in the years ahead.They have described the records as "extraordinary" and say the UK needs to make preparations for more extreme heat a much greater priority. Hundreds of schools plan closures ahead of red heat alertsPublished3 hours agoFrom cool-down spots to chalk on windows - how Europe is coping with the heatPublished9 hours agoThe temperatures we are experiencing are particularly unusual so early in the summer, but they are consistent with how our climate is changing."We expect increasing temperatures and the breaking of temperature records due to climate change," said Lizzie Kendon, professor of climate science at the University of Bristol and head of climate projections at the UK Met Office."What is so extraordinary, however, is the margin by which the record will be broken."While temperatures vary naturally from year to year, UK summers have clearly been getting warmer.Between 2015 and 2024, the number of days exceeding 30C in the UK more than trebled compared with the 1961-1990 average, the Met Office says. The maximum temperature recorded each year has shot up too.Reaching 35C was a rare event throughout the 20th Century – but six out of the past ten years have passed that mark.Could 40C summers be the new normal?The UK's hottest recorded temperature now stands at 40.3C, set in July 2022. Before 1990, the UK had not seen 37C.But these records are almost certainly going to keep getting broken.If global warming continues at its current pace, temperatures in the mid-forti...