People walk on the ledge of a bathing pool in the sea in Margate, Britain. (Reuters Photo)
The United Kingdom could have its hottest day on record this week, as weather forecasters have predicted that the temperature could reach 41 degrees Celsius, the BBC said in a report. An extreme heat warning is already in place for Monday and Tuesday in much of England. According to Met Office, Nights are likely to be exceptionally warm for the UK, especially in urban areas. It further said that extreme temperatures could have widespread impacts on people and infrastructure.
The highest ever recorded temperature in Britain was 38.7 degrees Celsius recorded in Cambridge University Botanic Garden on July 25, 2019.
The remaining parts of the UK, the Wales and parts of Scotland are under amber alert, which is also issued for high temperature.
New Zealand-based meteorologist Ben Noll compared the temperature forecast for the UK with other hotspots in the world and said on Twitter that almost 99 per cent of Earth's surface will be cooler than the country.
"The highest predicted UK temperature on Tuesday (near 41C) would be hotter than about 98.8% of Earth. The only hotter places include California and the Plains in the US, the Sahara Desert, France, Belgium, the Middle East, India, and western China," Mr Noll said in his tweet.
The BBC, meanwhile, said that London is set to be one of the hottest places in the world on Monday, with temperatures soaring above the Western Sahara and the Caribbean.
The UK's capital is forecast to be hotter than Dakhla in Western Sahara (24 degrees Celsius), Nassau in the Bahamas (32 degrees Celsius), Kingston in Jamaica (33 degrees Celsius), Malaga in Spain (28 degrees Celsius) and Athens in Greece (35 degrees Celsius), the outlet further said in its report.
The red (or level 4) alert is defined on the Met office website as being reached "when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.