--- title: "UK Has Hottest Night in Recorded History, Then Hottest Day in Recorded History" description: "Climate-change-driven heat waves spell disaster for the UK as the country buckles under its hottest night and day ever, back to back." date: "2022-07-19" modified: "2022-07-19" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/uk-hottest-night-day" categories: - "Climate Change" - "Environment" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "climate change" - "heat waves" - "record temperatures" - "the digest" --- # UK Has Hottest Night in Recorded History, Then Hottest Day in Recorded History ![Climate-change-driven heat waves spell disaster for the UK as the country buckles under its hottest night and day ever, back to back.]() *\Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images\* ## Britain Boils The UK is generally known for its gloomy, overcast weather and cold, rainy days. But climate change could be changing that, with the country getting scorched by a [blistering heat wave]() this week. Not only did the UK just experience its [hottest night]() on record on Monday night, but it then had its [hottest day]() ever recorded on Tuesday, according to multiple news outlets and [the Met Office](), the UK's national meteorological service. On Tuesday, temperatures soared to 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit — so high that it broke the previous record in 2019 of 101.7 degrees multiple times in one day. First, Heathrow set the record at 104.3 degrees earlier in the day, but that was soon broken by the inaugural 104.5 degrees at Coningsby, Lincolnshire just a few hours later. Between [tarmac melts](), [trains coming to a standstill](), [road crews on standby]() to dump sand on melted roads, and [wildfires dance between forests](), the UK isn’t a country equipped for this kind of heat, much like its European neighbors. Homes typically aren’t equipped with AC, and buildings are designed to retain heat — now bygone features of an era when temperatures were, well, normal. ## Nightmare Now, not even the night offers relief from the pervasive heat. Just the night before Tuesday, the previous high for the daily minimum temperature of 75 degrees in 1990 was surpassed at 78.6 degrees. Nights might still be cool in relative terms when compared to the scorching daytime heat, but in absolute terms? Not cool at all. Stephen Belcher, the Met Office chief scientist, said [in a statement]() that he "never expected to see this in \[his\] career," and that these kinds of temperatures in the UK are "virtually impossible" in an "undisrupted climate." "But climate change driven by greenhouse gases has made these extreme temperatures possible," Belcher continued. That's not all. Belcher also warned that the UK "could see temperatures like this every three years." Not good news when the country's infrastructure wilts under every passing heatwave. **More on Europe climate woes:** [*Over a Thousand Die in European "Heat Apocalypse"*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()