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Just 1.8mm of rain fell in High Wycombe in the last 54 days as the 2018 heatwave continues

| July 24, 2018

As High Wycombe swelters in glorious sunshine the 2018 heatwave is expected to continue for the rest of the week.

The Met Office, in association with Public Health England, have issued a Level 3 heat-health watch alert for a large part of England which includes the High Wycombe and South Buckinghamshire areas.

Forecasts predict that South Buckinghamshire may possibly see temperatures around, or even above, the 30C mark later in the week on Thursday 26th or Friday 27th July 2018.

The Met Office classifies less than 1.0mm of rain in a day as being a ‘dry day’. Using this threshold, several sites in the United Kingdom have had 54 consecutive dry days (starting from Wednesday 30th May 2018). Over the past 54 days (to Monday 23rd July 2018) just 1.8mm of rain has been recorded as falling in High Wycombe.

A few sites in the UK have had less than 1mm rainfall in the entire 54 day period. Sites whom the Met Office have recorded as having less rain than High Wycombe in the past 54 consecutive days are :

  • Heathrow (0.4 mm)
  • Hampton Water works (0.6 mm)
  • Kenley Airfield (1.0 mm)
  • Cambridge NIAB (1.0 mm)
  • Cavendish (1.6 mm)
  • High Wycombe (1.8 mm)

Prolonged hot weather with warm nights can have effects on people’s health and on certain infrastructure. A national heatwave plan for the United Kingdom has been created by Public Health England in association with the Met Office and other partners.

Dr Thomas Waite, Consultant in Health Protection at Public Health England, said: ‘Temperatures are likely be high in parts of England this week, which may leave older people, young children and those with long-term conditions, including heart and lung diseases, struggling to adapt to the heat. So keep an eye on friends and family who may be at risk.

To beat the heat, try to keep out the sun from 11.00am to 3.00pm, walk in the shade if you can, apply sunscreen and wear a hat if you have to go out in the heat. Also try to carry water with you when travelling.

The following tweet appeared on the official Met Office Twitter page on Monday 23rd July 2018 showing expected temperatures throughout the week :

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