UK Heatwave: Red Warning Still in Force Friday; 38C Still Possible; Schools Closed for Third Day
The Met Office red warning for extreme heat remains in force Friday, with 38C still possible across southern England. Hundreds of schools across Devon, Gloucestershire and other counties are closed for a third consecutive day. The UK’s June temperature record fell again Thursday at 36.4C in Yeovilton, the second consecutive day of record-breaking. NHS trusts remain at full heat-response deployment. Network Rail precautionary speed restrictions continue. Friday is expected to be the final day of the most intense heatwave window before weekend conditions ease modestly.
The Friday red-warning extension is the structural Met Office acknowledgement that the heat-dome over western Europe continues to drive UK elevated temperatures. The two consecutive June UK temperature records (Wednesday 36.1C Gosport, Thursday 36.4C Yeovilton) materially recalibrate the historical UK weather record. The hundreds-of-schools-closed-for-third-consecutive-day pattern is the structural acknowledgement of UK school-buildings climate-adaptation deficit. The 2022 record 40C summer A&E admissions and excess-death figures provide the operational reference.