Heat waves are defined as occurring when a site records at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding a certain limit. The definitions of heatwave are designed to be relevant to the current climate and with average temperatures rising in the UK as a result of global warming, thresholds are rising for parts of England. The weather and climate agency said the three-day temperature limit for a heat wave would rise from 27 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius for six counties: Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire. In Lincolnshire, temperatures will have to reach 27 degrees Celsius for three days to qualify as a heat wave, an increase of 26 degrees Celsius and Yorkshire East Riding will have a limit of 26 degrees Celsius, from 25 degrees Celsius. Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the National Climate Information Center at the Met Office, which manages the UK climate archives, said: “Climate statistics over time reveal an undeniable heating trend for the UK. Temperatures have risen sharply in parts of central and eastern England, where they have risen more than 1.0 degrees Celsius in some areas, while northern Scotland and Northern Ireland have seen temperatures rise closer to 0.7 degrees. Celsius. He added: “Although heat waves are extreme weather events, research shows that climate change makes these events more likely. A scientific study by the Met Office on the heat of summer 2018 in the United Kingdom showed that it was 30 times more likely to occur now than in 1750 due to the higher concentration of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, in the atmosphere. “As greenhouse gas concentrations increase, heatwaves of similar intensity are expected to become even more frequent, perhaps occurring as regularly as any other year.” Previous heatwave thresholds were based on the climate of the period 1981-2010 and were intended to be revised and revised to represent heatwaves relative to the current climate, the Met Office said. The new thresholds are based on the climate of the period 1991-2020, which was introduced as a reference period in January of this year, and are updated in view of the summer. Heat thresholds are separate from extreme heat warnings highlighting extremely high temperatures to protect lives and property, and from the UK Health Agency Health Warning, issued in England only, for to point out the impact of prolonged heat on public health.
