Hundreds of schools close as heatwave and thunderstorms cause major disruption

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleHundreds of schools across England, including approximately 100 in each of Somerset and Buckinghamshire, and 86 in Gloucestershire, are implementing full or partial closures over the coming days due to an extreme heatwave. The Met Office has issued a red weather warning for extreme heat, covering a vast area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, effective from Wednesday morning until Thursday evening. Temperatures are forecast to reach nearly 40C by Wednesday, with the Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge indicating a headline maximum of 39C for London or the South East on Thursday, potentially exceeding the UK's all-time high of 40.3C recorded in July 2022. The heatwave is causing significant disruption beyond education, with London's transport network experiencing issues like flooding on the Elizabeth line after heavy, reduced services on Avanti West Coast and Chiltern Railways, and overnight lightning strikes causing house fires and power outages. Overnight temperatures remained above 20C in nine English locations, classified as a tropical night, prompting Natural Resources Wales to release extra water into the River Dee to mitigate the risk of fish deaths. In fullUK heatwave latest: Schools forced to close as Britain braces for hottest June day after massive thunderstormsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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