Antonio Guterres, warned that London is “cooking” <\/a>and argued countries cannot double down on fossil fuels in the face of devastating climate change. <\/p>\nWhich schools have announced closures?<\/p>\n
The weather is expected to cause major inconvenience to parents as schools shut their doors or close early to protect children from the heat. <\/p>\n
Some 100 schools in Somerset will be closed over the next three days, with the vast majority fully closed on Wednesday and Thursday, according to Somerset Council.<\/p>\n
Around 100 schools will also be at least partially closed over the next three days in Buckinghamshire, along with 86 schools in Gloucestershire, according to council data.<\/p>\n
Children have also been told they can wear a PE kit rather than a full school uniform, which can involve long trousers and blazers. Some after-school clubs have also been cancelled.<\/p>\n
Many schools in Horsham, West Sussex, are closing early on Wednesday and Thursday, with some setting pupils work to do at home.<\/p>\n
St John\u2019s Marlborough in Wiltshire said it will close early on Tuesday and be shut all day on Wednesday and Thursday before re-opening on Friday.<\/p>\n
Other schools in Sutton in south London and Haringey in north London have also been forced to close from Tuesday to Thursday.<\/p>\n
Hampshire County Council has listed 35 schools which will at least partially close because of the heat this week, with a further seven in the Southampton area.<\/p>\n
Some schools will remain open this week but close at about lunchtime on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, including Pewsey Vale School, Dilton Marsh Primary and Malmesbury School in Wiltshire, Ditton Park Academy in Slough, Berkshire, The Bulmershe School in Reading, Berkshire, Cheam High School in Surrey and Sydenham School in London.<\/p>\n
Do schools have to close in certain temperatures?<\/p>\n
The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said it has written to all its members with guidance on dealing with the heat this week, including the impact on pupils and staff, legal positions and when to consider closure.<\/p>\n
Paul Whiteman, NAHT general secretary, said: \u201cWhile there is no legal \u2018upper limit\u2019 for temperature in schools, (school leaders) will certainly be doing all they can to mitigate the effects of such high temperatures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thunderstorms and travel disruption<\/p>\n
The hot weather led to thunderstorms and lightning strikes over England during the early hours of Tuesday. <\/p>\n
The Met Office said 29,074 lightning strikes – 18,540 of which were over Somerset – were recorded in the last 24 hours to 9am on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) received 400 calls overnight, including two house fires believed to be caused by lightning strikes and flooding of homes.<\/p>\n
There was also severe disruption across London\u2019s transport network on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of homes in Shepton Mallet, Glastonbury and Bristol were briefly without power due to the weather, according to the National Grid, while Bristol Airport was forced to close because of \u201ca fault with Air Traffic Control systems\u201d.<\/p>\n
Avon Fire and Rescue Service said a lightning strike was believed to be the cause of a house fire in Emersons Green, Bristol, on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
A home in Emersons Green, Bristol, was struck by lightning on Monday evening Credit: ITV News<\/p>\n
On the national rail network, extreme temperatures are also expected to cause sagging overhead electric wires, buckled rails and lineside fires, with passengers urged against non-essential travel and, if a journey is necessary, to make sure they carry a bottle of water.<\/p>\n
The UK’s biggest train operator, Greater Thameslink Railway (GTR) has warned passengers not to travel tomorrow or Thursday unless it\u2019s absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n
It said there will be reduced services in some parts of the network, so customers should expect disruption. <\/p>\n
“For safety reasons, trains will operate at reduced speeds and to amended timetables, meaning journeys will take longer and there is a heightened risk of delays, cancellations, and last-minute alterations. There will be no rail replacement bus services during this period.”<\/p>\n
Avanti West Coast said it plans to run fewer services than usual between Tuesday and Thursday, and \u201cthere\u2019s a risk of further disruption\u201d.<\/p>\n
East Midlands Railway has advised customers to only make essential journeys on Wednesday and Thursday.<\/p>\n
Chiltern Railways has axed more than half its services over those three days \u201cto ensure the safe operation of the railway\u201d.<\/p>\n
The operator said: \u201cWe strongly advise you to avoid travelling if possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The RAC said it is dealing with 10% more breakdowns than usual at this time of year and anticipates demand will \u201cincrease significantly as temperatures peak\u201d.<\/p>\n
Network Rail has warned passengers should “only travel if absolutely essential on Wednesday and Thursday”.<\/p>\n
There are extreme heat warnings in place across the UK Credit: PA<\/p>\n
What temperature records could be broken in the UK this week?<\/p>\n
The highest temperature recorded on Tuesday was 34.6C in Wisley, Surrey, the Met Office said, lower than the current record.<\/p>\n
Here are the UK temperature milestones that could be passed during the current heatwave, according to data published by the Met Office.<\/p>\n
35.1C – The highest temperature so far this year, measured at Kew Gardens in London on May 26. It also set a new record for the highest May temperature since comparable Met Office data began in 1884.<\/p>\n
35.6C – The highest June temperature on record. It was set on June 29 1957 at Camden Square in London, then equalled on June 28 1976 at Mayflower Park in Southampton.<\/p>\n
35.8C – The highest temperature recorded in the UK last year. It was reached on July 1 2025 at Faversham in Kent.<\/p>\n
40C – A temperature threshold that has been passed only once since Met Office records began, on July 19 2022. Five Met Office weather stations measured temperatures above 40C on this date, three in London (Heathrow, Kew Gardens and Northolt), one in Lincolnshire (Coningsby) and one in Nottinghamshire (Gringley on the Hill).<\/p>\n
40.3C – The highest temperature ever recorded in the UK. The figure was reached on July 19 2022 at Coningsby in Lincolnshire.<\/p>\n
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