Sheffield heatwave: City smashes record with over 39C for the first time ever

According to the Met Office, the record reached 39.4C as of 4pm on Tuesday, July 19.

Sheffield had a sweltering start to the week with Monday, July 18, beating the previous record of 35.6C on July 25, 2019.

Temperatures in Sheffield and the UK have reached never-before-seen levels, prompting the government to issue the first-ever level four emergency heat warning, indicating that infrastructure and possibly human life are at risk if proper precautions are not taken.

Several schools and businesses in and around Sheffield have closed on Tuesday, either for the entire day or for the afternoon, due to the heatwave affecting the entire nation.

The Met Office predicts that the heatwave and record temperatures will end on Wednesday, with temperatures dropping to around 24C, with a chance of thunderstorms and showers towards the end of the day.

The forecasters confirmed that the record for the UK’s hottest ever temperature has been broken twice already today (Tuesday, July 19), with a high of of 39.1C recorded in Charlwood, Surrey at 10.40am, only for an even higher temperature of 40.2C to be recorded at London Heathrow at 12.50pm.

The first ever Red Extreme Heat warning is still in place across parts of England together with a larger Amber Extreme heat warning, covering much of England, Wales and southern Scotland.

With the extreme heat on Tuesday comes the risk of thunderstorms,particularly in parts of the southwest today and, later, the northeast of England.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong, saidL “We are continuing to see exceptional temperatures in the UK today and it is important people plan for the heat and consider changing their routines. This level of heat can have adverse health effects.

“Along with the extreme heat we are now seeing an increasing risk of thunderstorms particularly in the Northeast of England this afternoon (Tuesday) and in the south tomorrow (Wednesday).”

The heatwave also wreaked havoc in some parts of South Yorkshire as wildfires engulfed fields and grasslands, putting local residents at risk.

Additionally, a number of powercuts have been reported across the county due as a result of the extremely high temperatures, causing some of the transformers to overheat and conductors to sag.