Weather updates from across the UK and implications for infrastructure - 2026

[whole diary]

[Mark A]

Slochd's caught the snow already.

Mark

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Storm Dave leads to train cancellations and delays in north-western England

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Rail services between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester were affected by an obstruction on the line

Storm Dave has caused disruption to a number of rail services overnight and into Easter Sunday.

Damage to the overhead electric lines between Bolton and Preston via Chorley has resulted in "trains running between these stations [being] cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised," said National Rail.

Meanwhile, Avanti West Coast is diverting its services and running between Bolton and Preston due to engineering work. It said disruption was expected until 13:00 BST.

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson said: "If your train is cancelled, your ticket is valid on one of the two Avanti West Coast services immediately before your booked train, or one of the two immediately after." Anyone no longer wishing to travel due to their train being delayed or cancelled can request a full refund from where they bought their ticket, they added.

Northern said its passengers could also travel on Transport for Greater Manchester buses at no extra cost on the following routes: V1, V2, 35, 132, 516, 575, 576, 607, 608, 609 and 615. Northern ticket restrictions have been lifted in the affected areas during this disruption, they added.

Trans Pennine Express said lines were closed in both directions between Preston and Oxenholme Lake District over the Easter weekend.

Routes between Manchester Airport, Liverpool Lime Street and Preston will run on an amended timetable.

Rail services between Manchester and Chester were suspended at about 22:30 BST on Saturday after the line was blocked, with the obstruction cleared at about 09:30, National Rail said. Northern and Transport for Wales advised passengers that a rail replacement bus service was operating between Manchester Piccadilly and Chester.

National Rail has issued a general warning for people to check their journey before travelling as "there may still be some residual disruption".

Storm Dave has caused widespread disruption to road and rail travel across the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), with multiple flood warnings still in place in some areas. Conditions are expected to ease later.

Yellow wind warnings covering Scotland, north-west Wales and parts of northern England, which saw blustery conditions on Saturday and overnight, have been lifted.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

UK^▸ (United Kingdom) sees hottest day of year as bank holiday travellers face queues

The UK is experiencing the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures forecast to continue to climb above 30C over the bank holiday weekend.

Temperatures reached 28.4C at Heathrow in west London, Cranwell in Lincolnshire and Cambridge on Friday afternoon, the Met Office confirmed. The current May record is 32.8C.

Amber health alerts have been issued for parts of England as families attempt a half-term getaway.

Transport networks are expected to be busy over the bank holiday weekend. Passengers travelling to Europe from the Port of Dover earlier faced delays of several hours, due to the introduction of a new entry and exit system.

There have been warnings of potential congestion on roads to the port between Friday and Sunday, with some 18,000 cars expected to pass through.

(BBC article continues)

[Chris from Nailsea]

An update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Hottest day of year as 30.5C recorded and temperatures set to soar

Temperatures will continue to soar across the bank holiday weekend following the hottest day of the year so far on Saturday.

A high of 30.5C was recorded at Frittenden in Kent, beating Friday's maximum temperature of 28.4C at Heathrow in London, Cranwell in Lincolnshire and Cambridge.

The Met Office said it was very rare for the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) to record temperatures above 30C in May, with the last time being on 25 May 2012.

The heat is forecast to intensify throughout the long weekend, reaching heatwave criteria in a number of locations. Daytime highs are forecast to reach the upper 20s Celsius in many areas, with the low 30s Celsius likely in the week ahead.

Amber heat health alerts remain in effect for the Midlands, eastern and south-east England.

Amber alerts mean there is a risk of a significant impact across health and social care services, with children and those aged over 65 at risk of negative health implications.

The remainder of England is under yellow heat health alerts, meaning adverse weather is "likely to affect vulnerable groups".

(BBC article continues)

Just in case you hadn't noticed. 

[Bob_Blakey]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):
.....Passengers travelling to Europe from the Port of Dover earlier faced delays of several hours, due to the introduction of a new entry and exit system.....

Rather amusingly, at around 09:30 on Saturday due to the queues becoming unmanageable the French Border Police stopped using the EES and reverted to the good old stamping of passports. This has been confirmed by Simon Calder.

So it is not just our government that are crap at designing & implementing technology!

[eXPassenger]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):
.....Passengers travelling to Europe from the Port of Dover earlier faced delays of several hours, due to the introduction of a new entry and exit system.....

Rather amusingly, at around 09:30 on Saturday due to the queues becoming unmanageable the French Border Police stopped using the EES and reverted to the good old stamping of passports. This has been confirmed by Simon Calder.

So it is not just our government that are crap at designing & implementing technology!

The problem is worse than that.  The overall requirement was designed by the EU^» (European Union - about) to cover airports as that was the chief method of entry before Brexit.  In airports passengers arrive at the desks on foot and can be fairly easily processed (I know there have been snafus in airports).  Entry from the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) via Dover has families in cars in a confined space.  The time to process a car load of passengers is longer that the same number of passengers at an airport.  Dover has come up with a number of interesting solutions including processing coaches off sit and then sealing them for the journey to the ferry.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

UK^▸ (United Kingdom) weather: Amber extreme heat warning issued as 35C heatwave approaches

The Met Office has issued an amber extreme heat warning for parts of southern and eastern England and south Wales.

The warning is valid for Monday and Tuesday and warns of temperatures peaking at 35C (95F). The nights will also be hot, remaining above 20C in some locations.

The developing heatwave is likely to have widespread impacts on people and infrastructure.

It brings the risk of impacts to health, especially for vulnerable people, and the danger of sunburn and heat exhaustion in the wider population. People travelling to coasts, lakes and rivers are being warned to stay safe in and around water.

Some travel delays and disruption are also likely.

This is only the sixth amber extreme heat warning that has been issued by the Met Office since they were introduced in 2021 - and the first since August 2022. A more severe red warning was also issued in the July of that year.

It is separate from the amber and yellow Heat Health Alerts that had already been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Those alerts, valid for regions of southern and eastern England until Tuesday, warn of significant impacts to health and social care services - with a likely increase in deaths among elderly and vulnerable people.

In contrast, this Met Office warning suggests that the heat will have effects on the general population.

Temperatures on Friday are due to peak at 31-32C (88-90F) in south-east England, although it will remain cooler in northern and western parts of the UK where rain will continue to fall. Slightly cooler air will arrive from the west on Saturday, although highs of 27 or 28C (81-82F) are still likely.

However, heat will build again from Sunday and by Monday and Tuesday temperatures will peak at 34 or 35C (93-95F) in south-east England. By that stage, large swathes of England and Wales will see highs into the high-20s or low-30s Celsius.

It is very likely that many places will reach official heatwave criteria, and there is a chance that the UK's June temperature record of 35.6C (96.1F), set in 1957 and 1976 will be broken.

Long spells of sunshine will bring high or very high UV levels and pollen levels are also forecast to be very high in places.

High humidity will make it feel particularly uncomfortable and overnight temperatures may remain above 20C (68F) in places, giving little relief from the heat.

(BBC article continues, with graphics and explanations)

My highlighting. CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

[JayMac]

Glad it wasn't this week. I've been in Cornwall since Monday. Cool and overcast. Just perfect for long walks wheeling Mum round Heligan, Eden Project, Lappa Valley, Lanhydrock, Newquay...

Strenuous work what with our Powerstroll wheelchair attachment failing. If it were next week doing that I think heatstroke would've done for me. Next break with Mumsy will see her self driving a mobility scooter.*

The train did take some of the strain at Lappa Valley.
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*If anyone out there has, or knows someone who has, a car boot sized scooter for sale I'd be interested. Trying to avoid paying full retail price. DM^▸ (Dilton Marsh (more correctly DMH^▸ (Dilton Marsh Halt)), or a Direct Message (a personal message ('pm') sent from one member to another on the forum), or Down Main (railway track), depending on context) me.

[Mark A]

This is also affecting France.

Mark

https://www.xcweather.co.uk/FR/observations

[Chris from Nailsea]

The train did take some of the strain at Lappa Valley.
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Hmmm. 

I'm glad to see that Mumsy wasn't phased by having to sit next to a 'gurning twonk' (your description, not mine!).

The gurning twonk stalking again.
TV^▸ (Thames Valley, or TeleVision, depending on context) chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
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CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum). 

[grahame]

This is also affecting France.

Mark

https://www.xcweather.co.uk/FR/observations

Cooking ... I have learned to walk in the shade of buildings and stop at cafes with shades to rehydrate.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Another update, from the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Extreme heat warning expanded as 36C heatwave approaches UK^▸ (United Kingdom)

The Met Office has expanded its amber extreme heat warning for Monday and Tuesday as forecasts suggest temperatures could climb to 36C (97F) in parts of the UK.

The warning means there are likely to be widespread impacts on people and infrastructure, with the risk of adverse health effects and disruption to travel.

Some locations could see temperatures above 30C (86F) for six or seven consecutive days, with overnight temperatures remaining above 20C (68F) in places. It is consistent with predictions that heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense globally due to human-induced climate change.

For a hot spell to officially become a heatwave, temperatures must exceed a threshold - which varies from 25-28C (77-82F) in different parts of the country - for three consecutive days.

There are parts of eastern England that have so far recorded two days above this threshold so a third, on Saturday, would mean a heatwave being declared.

However it is possible that maximum temperatures may fall slightly short of these highs. The highest temperatures are focused in the south and east of the UK with cooler conditions further north. You can check the forecast temperatures for your area on the BBC Weather website and app.

(BBC article continues, with graphics and explanations)

My highlighting. CfN^▸ (Chris from Nailsea, an administrator on this forum).

[broadgage]

The previous highest temperature for June is 35.6 degrees. It seems likely that this record will be broken in the next few days,with 36 forecast for London.

EDITED TO ADD^▸ (Automatic Dropping Device) that 37 degrees is now forecast in London.

[IndustryInsider]

The previous highest temperature for June is 35.6 degrees. It seems likely that this record will be broken in the next few days,with 36 forecast for London.

Expect a bad week with extremes like that.

[stuving]

The previous highest temperature for June is 35.6 degrees. It seems likely that this record will be broken in the next few days,with 36 forecast for London.

The Met Office is offering us here 37-39-38°C for the middle of the week. Gulp! I fear it's an offer I'm not allowed to refuse, either.

You may remember that the previous May record beaten by last month's peak was said to be from 1944 (or 1922, both 91°F). Now, I wonder what was going on at the end of May 1944?

It was hard to tell at the time, as not only was D-Day not publicised in advance but weather forecasts were stopped for the duration of the war too, and reports in the papers were delayed by over a week. And then they were only local - but many said that records had been set on Whit Monday (29th). The Met Office record has 89°F as the maximum at their stations (Croydon and some others), below 32°C, but since then some higher ones have been found elsewhere.

The heatwave was broken by thunderstorms starting from the Tuesday, though the next big weather system came on 4th and 5th. 5th June was the start of the D-Day planning window, though as is well known the landing itself was put off until the 6th because of that depression. So by the 9th weather reports were not doing well in the competition to be reported!