Weather LIVE: Northamptonshire sees hottest day in 138 years but record set to last just 24 hours as temperatures keep rising
The village of Pitsford, near Northampton, was officially one of the two hottest places in the UK on Monday (July 18) — but experts expect the county’s new temperature record of 38.2°C to be broken today … the UK has already seen 40°C for the first time EVER at Heathrow Airport … trains have been cancelled and people are being told to stay safe in “exceptional temperatures.” Refresh regularly and scroll down for the latest news…
Barbecues banned ... travel warnings .. waste collections cancelled .. Althorp Estate field on fire
Trains suspended between London-Northampton-Birmingham
London Northwestern Railway are saying all services have been halted after reports of fires near the tracks at Harrow in north London, damage to overhead power cables caused by the heat and a fallen tree.
The company is urging passengers not to attempt journeys on its services for the rest of the day.
Pitsford was officially one of the two hottest places in the UK on Monday (July 18).
The Met Office climate station at Pitsford School recorded a maximum air temperature of 38.2°C — the same as Santon Downham in Suffolk.
That also made it the hottest day in Northamptonshire since records began in 1880, topping the previous record 36.7°C at Raunds on August 9, 1911.
The station reports once at 10am daily with information from the previous 24 hours.
And weather watchers are convinced the new mark is already in the process of being beaten with personal weather stations across the county on Tuesday (July 19) already three or four degrees above what they were yesterday.
The UK recorded 40°C-plus heat for the first time EVER, London Heathrow provisionally reporting a temperature of 40.2°C at 12.50pm.
Northants Highways are closing the road between Chapel brampton and Holdenby due to a field fire on the Althorp Estate.
Charles Spencer tweeted a photo of the field at 12.15pm but assured his followers "all will be under control very soon."
Temperatures have hit a record high in the UK and could still increase further, the Met Office has said.
A temperature of 39.1C has provisionally been recorded in Charlwood, Surrey — beating the previous record of 38.7C in Cambridge in July 2019.
However, the record is unlikely to hold for long with the Met Office forecasting highs of 41C on Tuesday (19 July).
Much of England and Wales are under a “red” extreme heat warning until the end of the day, with the heat causing disruption on transport networks, school closures and the risk of serious health impacts.
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The latest from East Midlands Railway ...
Extreme heat: Do Not Travel with East Midlands Railway on Tuesday 19 July
As a result of the extreme heat and speed restrictions on Tuesday 19 July, customers are strongly urged not to travel by rail.
Extreme heat affecting the East Midlands
The Met Office has issued a ‘red extreme heat’ warning as temperatures in the East Midlands and London are forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius. As the track is typically 20 degrees warmer than the air above, this extreme heat can cause the track to buckle and bend which poses a serious safety risk to our Intercity trains which travel at speeds between 100 and 125 miles per hour.
As a result and to keep everyone safe, a speed limit of just 60 miles per hour will be in place between Sheffield, Nottingham and Bedford. Speeds will be limited further to just 20 miles per hour between Bedford and London.
To find out more about how extreme heat can affect the railway, visit Network Rail’s website.
EMR services
Trains on our Intercity and Connect routes will be limited to running at a speeds of up to 50mph, instead of operating at speeds of up to 125mph. This will affect trains in both directions between London St Pancras / Nottingham and Sheffield.
Intercity Service
We will be running a very limited early morning train service to / from London St Pancras from Derby and Nottingham.
All other trains on our Intercity route will run from Sheffield / Nottingham to Leicester in both directions for the duration of the day.
Connect Service
There will be no train service between Corby and London St Pancras on Tuesday 19th July.
As such, we strongly urge customers not to travel with East Midlands Railway. Journeys will take twice as long as normal and return services are likely to be cancelled.
It appears there will be no trains from Corby, Kettering or Wellingborough to London on Tuesday (July 19).
Operator East Midlands Railway says it is waiting for confirmation but Thameslink has already pulled the plug on all its services between Bedford and London St Pancras.
A spokesman warned passengers against setting out on journeys, adding: “Our current advice is NOT TO TRAVEL tomorrow at all. If you do travel and your return journey is cancelled, please be aware that we will not be arranging any road transport.“
Check the company’s website HERE or National Rail Enquiries for the latest information.
EMR is already running a reduced service on Monday with speed limits forcing trains to run at 50mph instead of up to 125mph on routes into London.