London, United Kingdom. A heat dome has driven record-breaking temperatures across Europe, killing 11 people in Britain and France and leaving 10 more in critical condition. Scientists warned that cities and infrastructure are not prepared for the severity of heat events expected in the future.
Record temperatures
The phenomenon, a high-pressure system stalled over the continent that traps hot air beneath it, has produced all-time temperature records in late spring. Scientists said burning fossil fuels is intensifying such events and warned that the worst may still lie ahead.
Britain
London reached 35.1C, the highest temperature ever recorded in Britain in May and two degrees above the previous record. For the first time, the capital also experienced a tropical night, with temperatures not falling below 21C at any point during the night on more than one occasion.
Peter Thorne, director of the Icarus Climate Research Centre at Maynooth University in Ireland, described the heat as “so crazy the mind can’t grasp it.”
The city is under strain. On average, London’s highest recorded temperatures do not exceed 20C, and the 35C readings in the capital’s parks are approaching Britain’s all-time record of 40.3C, set in 2022, which broke a mark that had stood since 1911.
The London Underground has no air conditioning in its waiting areas or carriages, leaving commuters exposed to the heat. Train delays have become more frequent as overheating disrupts the network.
Only around five per cent of London homes have air conditioning, and an even smaller proportion have insulation capable of keeping heat out.
“This country was built for a climate that no longer exists,” the UK Climate Change Committee said.
