London weather: Sweltering heatwave set to continue as capital bakes in 32C

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Hatty Collier19 July 2016

London has sweltered in the hottest day of the year so far with the mini-heatwave forecast to continue into tomorrow.

Temperatures reached 32.9C at Heathrow and could climb even higher before the day is out, forecasters said.

The Met Office declared a Level 3 heatwave alert and Public Health England urged people to take care and stay out of the sun.

Emma Sharples, Met Office meteorologist, told the Standard: “We have seen 32.9C at Heathrow but there are quite a handful of stations across the capital that have recorded above 32C.

A woman sunbathes in St James's Park, London
Hannah McKay/PA Wire

“And we could go a bit higher still.

“It will be a very hot, warm, close-feeling night tonight with temperatures not dropping below 22C. It won’t be a good night for sleepers.

“Tomorrow, we expect to see temperatures as high as 30C.”

A woman sunbathes in St James's Park
Hannah McKay/PA Wire

Today’s scorching temperatures have sparked a surge in calls for medical help and caused delays on the railway after speed restrictions were brought in.

And the capital's ambulance service said it had had 300 more calls than usual and the RSPCA said it had also seen a spike in calls from members of the public concerned about dogs left in hot cars, conservatories, sheds and caravans.

Gorillas at London Zoo were helped to deal with the heat by keepers who fed them fruit tea ice blocks.

Elsewhere in the UK, the Met Office said that 31.2C (88F) was recorded at Porthmadog in north Wales and 26.2C (79F) at Castlederg in Northern Ireland, the hottest temperatures of the year in those countries.

Fresher conditions are expected towards the end of the week.

Ms Sharples added: “Looking towards the end of the week, temperatures will be in the low to mid 20s with the chance of some showery rain.”

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