1990 United Kingdom heat wave

The 1990 heat wave in the United Kingdom was a particularly severe heat event with temperatures hitting record highs of 37.1 °C (98.8 °F) on 3 August. The temperature was recorded at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and was a full degree Celsius above the previous record, set in 1911. However, this record was subsequently broken in the 2003 heatwave.[1]

Impact

While domestic holidays increased, most of the impacts of the heat were negative. Moorland fires were common during the height of the heat wave, occurring in North Yorkshire and the Peak District. Some 100 square miles (260 km2) of the Peak District was closed to the public to try to prevent further fires occurring from careless visitors. Roads were clogged as people flocked to the coast, and holiday resorts throughout the country. This was further hampered as the train services around the country were slowed, due to concerns over anomalies in the railway track network, because of the intense heat. Reservoirs also fell, but not to levels seen in other heatwaves such as the famous 1976 drought.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 "UK temperatures reach record high". On This Day. BBC. 1990-08-03. Retrieved 2009-11-03.

See also

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