High temperatures in the UK will melt airport runways, adding to further air travel disruptions

Parts of the UK are literally melting due to the high temperatures. On Monday, Luton Airport, about 30 miles north of London, had to suspend flights as excessive heat damaged parts of the airport, adding to the already-existing pressure. Confused travel season.

The airport tweeted on Monday that high temperatures had led to a “surface defect” on the runway, later saying the high temperatures had caused a small section to lift. Monday was another day of what the UK Met Office described as a “severe heatwave” with what it called “exceptional, possibly record-breaking, temperatures”. The Luton area, according to the bureau, saw temperatures of up to 35º Celsius – or 95 degrees Fahrenheit – on Monday.

The runway was fully operational within hours, but the impact of the heat is the latest in a series of problems for airline travel around the world. Just last week he had to do London Heathrow Airport Cap Air passengers To cope with increasing travel demand and staff shortages. In recent weeks, Thousands of flights have been canceled In America, they’re seeing hundreds of thousands of delays. Millions of people are affected.

And the latest issue in Luton is indicative of a much bigger issue – the significant toll that extreme heat is having on infrastructure.

London East Midlands Railway issued a warning on Monday urging people to avoid travel on Tuesday as high temperatures are expected to hit 38 degrees Celsius, or over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, in the area.

While July is the hottest month for the Midlands, the Met Office says the highest daily temperature will be around 23.5ºC.

The railroad said in its warning that the tracks are 20 degrees warmer than the air, meaning the high temperatures “could cause the track to buckle and buckle” — a major safety concern as the trains travel at speeds of up to 125 miles per hour. . Most services were canceled on Tuesday and some trains were reduced to 20 mph in some areas. Thameslink trains were also very limited.

The warnings come as the UK hit its hottest day yet at Heathrow on Tuesday, with temperatures of 40.2 degrees Celsius – above 104 degrees Fahrenheit – just before 1pm. If the temperature is confirmed, it will beat the previous record by 1.5 degrees Celsius in 2019.

Extreme temperatures are indicative of climate resilience in relation to infrastructure.

Extreme heat in the U.S. Pacific Northwest last year forced municipalities to lock down and cancel bridges to avoid operating in the extreme heat, as days of triple-digit temperatures left roads chipped and cracked. And this winter, experts warn that the US power plant may not be able to withstand excessive heat.

And as the world continues to reduce fossil fuel emissions and contribute to global warming, these temperatures are likely to increase significantly. Met Office scientist Nikos Christidis said in a statement that climate change is having a significant impact on temperatures in the UK.

“The likelihood of seeing 40°C days in the UK is 10 times greater in the current climate than in natural climates that have not been influenced by humans,” said Christidis. “The probability of anywhere in the UK exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in a single year is increasing rapidly, and even with current emissions reduction pledges, such an extreme could occur every 15 years in the 2100 climate.”