Record temperatures and the hottest day of the year so far. Parts of Britain have outstripped temperatures in Bermuda and Rio today. Council gritters have been out treating roads to stop them melting. Health warnings have been issued for the elderly and others at risk. And tomorrow is said to be even hotter. Emily Reuben has been finding out how Britons trying to stay cool.

It's not exactly the sort of traffic you'd expect on a hot July afternoon. But the gritting lorries were out in Cumbria today, not for the ice, of course. The council says this is the only way they can keep the roads from melting in the heat.

Today is going to be hot and sunny with temperatures up to 33 degrees. In parts of Britain, temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Hot summers like this used to come along every 30 years. Now it's looking like becoming every 3 years.

The Met Office keeps a track of rising temperatures with these automatic climate recorders that're used in the UK and around the world. Currently, the temperature gauge is reading 33 degrees centigrade.
The forecasts are predicting a 30% chance that tomorrow that could rise to 39-degree-centigrade, a record-breaking 102 degrees Fahrenheit.

But for many it's no reason to celebrate. The last European heat wave in 2003 killed 15 thousand people in France. 2,000 died in Britain.

We need to realize that hot weather is just as dangerous as windy weather, just as dangerous as flooding, and just as dangerous as snow and ice. So we have to really start to take precautions now on our day-to-day way of life. Why, do you think, for example, the Spaniards have a siesta? Because nobody would be mad enough to go out in that kind of heat at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

The government hasn't gone as far as introducing siestas. But after 2003, the Department of Health launched a Heatwave Plan. There are 4 levels of alert. We are currently on level 3, which is introduced when the temperature goes above 32 degrees. GPs must ensure there is extra support for the elderly and the very young. And Primary Care Trusts should commission additional care for those at risk.

We've certainly learned lessons from 2003, what happened in France in 2003. And that's why we've got this big publicity campaign to raise awareness and get people to do very sensible things both for themselves but also to look after their neighbours.

The message for tomorrow is to stay indoors and drink lots of water. And if you are going to take a siesta, make sure you do it in the shade.

【WORLD BANK】

outstrip

to do something better than someone else or be more successful
We outstripped all our competitors in sales last year.

gritter

a large vehicle that puts salt or sand on the roads in winter to make them less icy
American Equivalent: salt truck

the Meteorological Office

the national organization that collects information about the weather in the UK, and provides weather reports for newspapers, radio, and TV, and also for farmers, scientists, airports etc. There is a similar organization in the US called the National Weather Service.

siesta
[countable]

a short sleep in the afternoon, especially in warm countries
take/have a siesta The stores all close after lunch when everyone takes a siesta.

general practitioner

a doctor who is trained in general medicine and treats people in a particular area or town
I've got an appointment with my GP at five o'clock.