LONDON (AP) — Britain shattered its record for highest temperature ever registered Tuesday, with a provisional reading of 39.1 degrees Celsius (102.4 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the country’s weather office — and the heat was only expected to rise.
The highest temperature previously recorded in Britain was 38.7 C (101.7 F), a record set in 2019. Tuesday’s record was in Charlwood, England.
“Temperatures are likely to rise further through today,” the forecaster said.
The high Tuesday came as the country sweltered in heat that also scorched mainland Europe for the past week. Travel, health care and schools were disrupted in a country not prepared for such extremes.
A huge chunk of England, from London in the south to Manchester and Leeds in the north, remained under the country’s first warning of “extreme” heat Tuesday, meaning there is danger of death even for healthy people.
Britain’s Supreme Court closed to visitors after a problem with the air conditioning forced it to move hearings online. The British Museum planned to close early. Many public buildings, including hospitals don’t have air conditioning, a reflection of how unusual such extreme heat is in the country better known for rain and mild temperatures.
Unusually hot, dry weather has gripped large swaths of the continent since last week, triggering wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans and leading to hundreds of heat-related deaths. Images of flames racing toward a French beach and Britons sweltering — even at the seaside — have driven home concerns about climate change.
A member of F Company Scots Guards swelters in the heat during the Changing of the Guard ceremony on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, central London, Tuesday July 19, 2022. Millions of people in Britain woke from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures could break records, as a heat wave scorching Europe walloped a country not built for such extremes (Victoria Jones/PA via AP) 
A member of the Household Troop has a fan placed next to him at Horse Guards Parade in central London, Tuesday July 19, 2022. Millions of people in Britain woke from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures could break records, as a heat wave scorching Europe walloped a country not built for such extremes. (Aaron Chown/PA via AP) 
A man sits in a glas bowl in a fountain on the Southbank in London, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Millions of people in Britain woke from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures could break records, as a heat wave scorching Europe walloped a country not built for such extremes. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein) 
People escape the heatwave by taking a barbecue in a river near the village of Luss in Argyll and Bute on the west bank of Loch Lomond, Scotland, Monday July 18, 2022. (Andrew Milligan/PA Wire/PA via AP) 
A resident looks as flames advance during a wildfire in Pumarejo de Tera in north western Spain, Monday, July 18, 2022. Firefighters battled wildfires raging out of control in Spain and France as Europe wilted under an unusually extreme heat wave that authorities in Madrid blamed for hundreds of deaths. (AP Photo/Emilio Fraile) 
A sign at Alexandra Palace train station saying no trains are running due to the hot weather, in London, Tuesday July 19, 2022. Millions of people in Britain woke from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures could break records, as a heat wave scorching Europe walloped a country not built for such extremes (Yui Mok/PA via AP) 
A railway worker hands out bottles of water to passengers at King’s Cross railway station where there are train cancellations due to the heat in London, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Millions of people in Britain woke from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures could break records, as a heat wave scorching Europe walloped a country not built for such extremes. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) 
A British soldier, right, wearing a traditional bearskin hat, waits to be relieved from his stint as the guards are changed outside Buckingham Palace, during hot weather in London, Monday, July 18, 2022. The British government have issued their first-ever “red” warning for extreme heat. The alert covers large parts of England on Monday and Tuesday, when temperatures may reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) for the first time, posing a risk of serious illness and even death among healthy people, the U.K. Met Office, the country’s weather service, said Friday. The British heat record is 38.7C (101.7F), set in 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 
A sign a King’s Cross railway station warns of train cancellations due to the heat in London, Tuesday, July 19, 2022. London’s Kings Cross Station, one of the country’s busiest rail hubs, was empty on Tuesday, with no trains on the busy east coast line connecting the capital to the north and Scotland. Millions of people in Britain woke from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures could break records, as a heat wave scorching Europe walloped a country not built for such extremes. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) 
A tourist uses a fan whilst standing in the hot sun whilst waiting to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony outside Buckingham Palace, during hot weather in London, Monday, July 18, 2022. Britain’s first-ever extreme heat warning is in effect for large parts of England as hot, dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the past week moves north, disrupting travel, health care and schools. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 
People swim in the elevated pool, called Sky Pool, in London, Monday, July 18, 2022. Britain’s first-ever extreme heat warning is in effect for large parts of England as hot, dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the past week moves north, disrupting travel, health care and schools. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) 
A man lays in the shade at a park in Wapping, east London, Tuesday July 19, 2022. Britain has recorded its warmest ever night, ahead of a day when temperatures are forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). The U.K.’s Met Office weather agency said provisional figures showed the temperature remained above 25 C (77 F) overnight in parts of the country for the first time. (Yui Mok/PA via AP) 
A member of the public walks a dog at Scammonden Reservoir in West Yorkshire, England, Monday, July 18, 2022 as reservoir levels dip dangerously low amid record high temperatures in the UK. Millions of people in Britain stayed home or sought shade Monday during the country’s first-ever extreme heat warning, as hot, dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the past week moved north, disrupting travel, health care and schools. (AP Photo/Jon Super) 
Traffic crosses a bridge at Woodhead Resevoir in West Yorkshire as water levels dip dangerously low amid record high temperatures in the UK. The UK’s first ever red warning for exceptional heat came into force at midnight on Sunday, with temperatures expected to climb up to 41C (105.8F) over the next two days, breaking the country’s heat records, Oldham, England, Monday, July 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Jon Super) 
Traffic crosses a bridge at Woodhead Resevoir in West Yorkshire, England, Monday, July 18, 2022 as water levels dip dangerously low amid record high temperatures in the UK. Millions of people in Britain stayed home or sought shade Monday during the country’s first-ever extreme heat warning, as hot, dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the past week moved north, disrupting travel, health care and schools. (AP Photo/Jon Super) 
Smoke laden with ashes coming from a giant wildfire consuming the thousand-year-old forest bordering the Dune du Pilat rises over the beach of Pilat sur Mer, southwestern France, Monday July 18, 2022. France scrambled more water-bombing planes and hundreds more firefighters to combat spreading wildfires that were being fed Monday by hot swirling winds from a searing heat wave broiling much of Europe. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) 
Swimmers walk on the Le Moulleau pier in Arcachon, southwestern France Monday July 18, 2022, as a large cloud of black smoke laden with ashes coming from a giant wildfire consuming the thousand-year-old forest bordering the Dune du Pilat fills the sky. France scrambled more water-bombing planes and hundreds more firefighters to combat spreading wildfires that were being fed Monday by hot swirling winds from a searing heat wave broiling much of Europe. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) 
A couple stands on the Le Moulleau pier in Arcachon, southwestern France, late Monday July 18, 2022, as a large cloud of black smoke laden with ashes coming from a giant wildfire consuming the thousand-year-old forest bordering the Dune du Pilat fills the sky. France scrambled more water-bombing planes and hundreds more firefighters to combat spreading wildfires that were being fed Monday by hot swirling winds from a searing heat wave broiling much of Europe. (AP Photo/Sophie Garcia) 
Some people cover their heads from the sun as they walk over the Millennium Bridge going over the River Thames, backdropped by the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral, during hot weather in London, Monday, July 18, 2022. Britain’s first-ever extreme heat warning is in effect for large parts of England as hot, dry weather that has scorched mainland Europe for the past week moves north, disrupting travel, health care and schools. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham) 
Firefighter try to extinguish flames as wildfire advance during a wildfire in Ferreras de Abajo in north western Spain, Monday, July 18, 2022. Firefighters battled wildfires raging out of control in Spain and France as Europe wilted under an unusually extreme heat wave that authorities in Madrid blamed for hundreds of deaths. (AP Photo/Emilio Fraile) 
This photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region (SDIS 33) shows a firefighter at work at a forest fire at La Test-de-Buch, southwestern France, late Monday, July 18, 2022. France scrambled more water-bombing planes and hundreds more firefighters to combat spreading wildfires that were being fed Monday by hot swirling winds from a searing heat wave broiling much of Europe. (SDIS 33 via AP) 
This photo provided by the fire brigade of the Gironde region (SDIS 33) shows firefighters unroll the fire hose at a forest fire at La Test-de-Buch, southwestern France, late Monday, July 18, 2022. France scrambled more water-bombing planes and hundreds more firefighters to combat spreading wildfires that were being fed Monday by hot swirling winds from a searing heat wave broiling much of Europe. (SDIS 33 via AP) 
Chippy the chimpanzee enjoys an ice treat at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park, near Stirling, England, Tuesday July 19, 2022. Millions of people in Britain woke from the country’s warmest-ever night on Tuesday and braced for a day when temperatures are forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), as a heat wave scorching Europe wallops a country more used to mild weather and rain. (Andrew Milligan/PA via AP)
The U.K.’s Met Office weather agency also reported that provisional figures showed the temperature remained above 25 C (77 F) overnight in parts of the country for the first time.
Many people coped with the heat wave by staying put. Road traffic was down from its usual levels on Monday. Trains ran at low speed out of concern rails could buckle, or did not run at all. London’s Kings Cross Station, one of the country’s busiest rail hubs, was empty on Tuesday, with no trains on the busy east coast line connecting the capital to the north and Scotland. London’s Luton Airport had to close its runway because of heat damage.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said Britain’s transport infrastructure, some of it dating from Victorian times, “just wasn’t built to withstand this type of temperature — and it will be many years before we can replace infrastructure with the kind of infrastructure that could.”
At least five people were reported to have drowned across the U.K. in rivers, lakes and reservoirs while trying to cool off.
Climate experts warn that global warming has increased the frequency of extreme weather events, with studies showing that the likelihood of temperatures in the U.K. reaching 40 C (104 F) is now 10 times higher than in the pre-industrial era. Drought and heat waves tied to climate change have also made wildfires harder to fight.
The dangers of extreme heat were on display in southern Europe. At least 748 heat-related deaths have been reported in the heat wave in Spain and neighboring Portugal, where temperatures reached 47 C (117 F) earlier this month.
In the Gironde region of southwestern France, ferocious wildfires continued to spread through tinder-dry pines forests, frustrating firefighting efforts by more than 2,000 firefighters and water-bombing planes.
More than 37,000 people have been evacuated from homes and summer vacation spots since the fires broke out July 12 and burned through 190 square kilometers (more than 70 square miles) of forests and vegetation, Gironde authorities said.
A smaller third fire broke out late Monday in the Medoc wine region north of Bordeaux, further taxing firefighting resources. Five camping sites went up in flames in the Atlantic coast beach zone where blazes raged, around the Arcachon maritime basin famous for its oysters and resorts.
But weather forecasts offered some consolation, with heat-wave temperatures expected to ease along the Atlantic seaboard Tuesday and the possibility of rains rolling in late in the day.
