LONDON, July 15, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - The UK's meteorological agency on

Friday issued its first ever "red" warning for exceptional heat, forecasting
record highs of 40 degrees Celsius next week.

     "Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures are likely early next
week," Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said.

     The Met Office said there was a 50-percent chance of temperatures
topping 40oC (104 degrees Fahrenheit) for the first time on Monday or
Tuesday, and an 80-percent chance that the country's previous record of
38.7oC set in 2019 will be exceeded.

     "Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban
areas," said Gundersen.

     "This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and
infrastructure. This level of heat can have adverse health effects."

     A red warning is issued when it is "very likely that there will be a
risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and
possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure".

     The warning will cover next Monday and Tuesday for parts of central,
northern, eastern and southeastern England.

     The service said that while "extreme heat events do occur within natural
climate variation", their increase in recent decades "is clearly linked to
the observed warming of the planet and can be attributed to human activity".

     UK hospitals have already warned of a surge in heat-related admissions
and train operators have told passengers to expect cancellations.