With temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius, the UK’s Meteorological (Met) Office has issued a first-ever red extreme heat warning for several parts of England next week. A red warning is the highest used by the Met Office under its alert system and it implies that there is a danger to life across all age groups.

“We’ve just issued a red warning for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday, which is the first such warning ever issued,” said Met Office spokesperson Grahame Madge.

“The warning covers an area from London up to Manchester and then up to the Vale of York…If we get to 40 degrees Celsius, that’s a very iconic threshold and shows that climate change is with us now. This is made much more likely because of climate change,” he said.

Also Read: Why is UK experiencing a heatwave?

The weather alert also warns of potential disruption to air and rail travel and potential “localized loss of power and other essential services, such as water or mobile phone services.”

“If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbors, now is the time to make sure they’re putting suitable measures in place to be able to cope with the heat because if the forecast is as we think it will be in the red warning area, then people’s lives are at risk,’’ Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said. “This is a very serious situation.”

As the country prepared for scorching few days, let’s take a look at UK’s top ten hottest days ever recorded by the Met Office.

1. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, July 25, 2019 – 38.7C

2. Faversham, Kent, August 10, 2003 – 38.5C 

3. Heathrow, London, July 31, 2020 – 37.8C

4. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, August 3, 1990 – 37.1C

5. Heathrow, London, July 1, 2015 – 36.7C

6. Raunds, Northamptonshire, August 9, 1911 – 36.7C

7. Worcester, Worcestershire, August 2, 1990 – 36.6C

8. Wisley, Surrey, July 19, 2006 – 36.5C

9. Kew Gardens and Heathrow, London, August 7, 2020 – 36.4C 

10. Gravesend, Kent, August 6, 2003 – 36.4C