UK Met Warns 90F Heatwave Will Cause Power Outages

Essay by Eric Worrall

Temperatures in the low 90s will cause “An increased chance that some heat-sensitive systems and equipment may fail, leading to power cuts and the loss of other services to some homes and businesses”

Amber warning
Extreme heat

01:00 Mon 22 UTC+1 23:59 Tue 23

A developing hot spell is expected to peak on Monday and Tuesday and lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure.

What should I expect?

More people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents

Adverse health effects are likely to be experienced by those vulnerable to extreme heat

The wider population are likely to experience some adverse health effects including sunburn or heat exhaustion (dehydration, nausea, fatigue) and other heat related illnesses

Some delays to road, rail and air travel are possible, with potential for welfare issues for those who experience prolonged delays

Some changes in working practices and daily routines likely to be required

An increased chance that some heat-sensitive systems and equipment may fail, leading to power cuts and the loss of other services to some homes and businesses

…

Further detail

Following very warm weather on Sunday, very high temperatures are expected on Monday and Tuesday and will likely bring widespread impacts to people and infrastructure. In addition to high daytime maxima, temperatures overnight will remain very warm, especially in larger urban areas, and it will also feel humid.

Temperatures are likely to reach the mid-30s Celsius in places on Monday and Tuesday. Some places, particularly in urban areas, may see temperatures remain above 20 Celsius overnight.

The very high temperatures may continue across a smaller area into the middle of the week, but there remains some uncertainty regarding the extent of this.

…
Read more: https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2026-06-22&id=453b3bc1-aec7-4ed7-9fbc-1bdfdff3c776

In subtropical Australia we call this kind of weather “Summer”.

My question – what kind of electrical distribution equipment fails in beach weather? When I lived in Britain, we got a few days like that every other summer, and I don’t remember widespread outages.

Is the MET trying to say Britain’s renewable heavy grid cannot handle a surge in air conditioning demand? That the grid might falter if the power which normally flows through the interconnectors to France and Norway gets diverted to keeping Europeans comfortable? Or are they trying to say the grid has not been well maintained? Inquiring minds would like to know.

5 7 votes

Article Rating

50 Comments

Neil Pryke

June 20, 2026 10:13 am

The terrorism of the UK government weaponised to cause misery and hardship…and at the VERY LEAST…inconvenience…but it’s what Socialists do best…what passes for honour in their diseased minds…

RANT OVER..!

Mr.

Reply to Neil Pryke

June 20, 2026 12:49 pm

That’s a very BOLD statement.

Bryan A

Reply to Mr.

June 20, 2026 2:10 pm

There’s clearly only one reason that a 90°F heatwave could cause power outages…
This would be criminal negligence on the part of the Grid Operators and those government officials responsible for maintaining adequate grid generation sources for allowing actual maximum capacity to fall below potential demand AND for allowing inconstant generation sources to proliferate.

ResourceGuy

June 20, 2026 10:15 am

The millions of Brits living in the US don’t seem to run to bunkers or engage in climate scare syndrome. They either adapted easily or escaped net zero oppression without putting up with it.

mleskovarsocalrrcom

June 20, 2026 10:16 am

What a crock of “maybe”. These temperatures are neither new nor catastrophic. The only real threat is reliance on renewables to help.

doonman

June 20, 2026 10:22 am

Don’t feel bad UK. Here, when it gets hot, they cut the power off intentionally to 100s of thousands because they are afraid of fires.

It doesn’t matter if the electrons are green or not, you get nothing.

George Thompson

Reply to doonman

June 20, 2026 1:00 pm

You in Cali? Sympathies.

Bryan A

Reply to doonman

June 20, 2026 2:16 pm

Even Rooftop Solar gives you nothing when grid sourced power leaves your meter in the dark. Rooftop Solar is designed to terminate generation if power fails at the meter to prevent backfeed and potential electrocution of utility workers during outages.
Your power goes out…your rooftop solar ceases to work.

Tom Abbott

June 20, 2026 10:31 am

From the article: “My question – what kind of electrical distribution equipment fails in beach weather? When I lived in Britain, we got a few days like that every other summer, and I don’t remember widespread outages.”

There were no problems with electrical grids in the past, before windmills and solar were added to the mix. No blackout warnings.

After windmills and solar were added to our grids, we all get blackout warnings every summer and winter.

Windmills and Industrial Solar are the problem. We should get rid of this problem as soon as possible.

JohnC

June 20, 2026 10:31 am

I remember power cuts in the 1970’s due to industrial action, but not in the summer of 1976.
Power cuts in the early 80’s due to industrial action.
Power cut in the early 90’s due to ice storm that coated overhead cables bringing them down.
No power cuts in recent summers despite any increase in air conditioning (still a relatively rarity in domestic settings).

Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 10:32 am

“My question – what kind of electrical distribution equipment fails in beach weather? ”

Simple:
Countries that do not regularly get “beach weather” (well OZ style beach weather anyway).
Britain historically does not.
How do your homes cope with the heat? Are they designed to keep heat in, as are ours (brick that acts as a storage heater for overnight). I suspect not, and I suspect you have A/C. We don’t.

“When I lived in Britain, we got a few days like that every other summer, ”

And when was that? – chances are that there are many more “heat-sensitive systems and equipment” than when you did. Computer/data centre systems FI.

And BTW, the meteorology is indicating a possible 97F max somewhere, and the MetO are likely playing it safe at the mo.

-17

gilbertg

Reply to Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 11:40 am

Houses that are designed to keep the heat in, are the same as ones to keep the heat out: open all of the doors and windows at night and keep them closed during the day. Insulation and whatnot, work both ways as thermal barriers. And, there’s a reason they build stone homes in the desert.

Anthony Banton

Reply to gilbertg

June 20, 2026 1:03 pm

Read what I said….
Brick:
Absorbs daytime solar heat which slowly cools overnight, keeping the house hot despite open windows.

-6

JohnC

Reply to Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 12:11 pm

I live in the English Midlands. Our house, built in 1932 with solid walls, feels cool in summer and is a pain to get warm in the winter.

Anthony Banton

Reply to JohnC

June 20, 2026 1:30 pm

Is it shaded from much sunshine?
Does it have a cavity?

-4

MrGrimNasty

June 20, 2026 10:39 am

The incoming UK June heatwave is likely to be record breaking ( just as May’s was) and it will last at least a week in the affected areas.

Just as the UK isn’t designed for or used to extensive snow, it isn’t used to or designed for such heat.

It’s all relative to what you are used to. Excess cold deaths in India are at far higher temperatures than similar deaths in the UK and electrical infrastructure etc. is designed to operate at hotter temperatures.

It’s likely to peak 36C+ but it’s been steadily upgraded and could approach 40C. This would easily beat the 1957/76 all time June record.

Anthony Banton

Reply to MrGrimNasty

June 20, 2026 11:20 am

“It’s likely to peak 36C+ but it’s been steadily upgraded and could approach 40C. This would easily beat the 1957/76 all time June record.”

Yes, I wouldn’t rule out 38C but 40C is a stretch.

-7

bnice2000

Reply to Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 2:22 pm

“I wouldn’t rule out 38C”

Especially when measured at Met-Office sites !!

JohnC

Reply to MrGrimNasty

June 20, 2026 12:14 pm

It depends whether the heat dome currently over mainland Europe spreads to cover the U.K.

Petit-Barde

June 20, 2026 10:40 am

30°C a very high temperature ? An extreme heat ?
What are those 30°C sensitive systems ? Snowflakes ?

Do they hire clowns at the Met Office ?

SxyxS

Reply to Petit-Barde

June 20, 2026 10:54 am

It has nothing to do with systems.

This strategy is called predictive programming.
Power Outtages will become the norm in the green energy Utopia – therefore the blame must be preemptively shifted, before people start blaming it correctly on renewables.
And maybe they’ll false flag an outage to teach people a lesson.

Never waste a crisis – especially not the one you created.

From a more objective point of view: Brirains heatwaves are chicken shit compared to most parts of the worlds.
UK heatwaves are considered cool breeze in many hot 3rd world countries – and even those
don’t have Power Outtages – at least not heat related ones.
How can a more advanced UK grid struggle then?
Only by design.

Ed Zuiderwijk

Reply to Petit-Barde

June 20, 2026 11:05 am

They do not hire them, they are the clowns themselves.

Anthony Banton

Reply to Petit-Barde

June 20, 2026 11:15 am

Yes, it is for the UK -do you live here?

-7

JohnC

Reply to Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 12:20 pm

I don’t know how old you are, but we have had temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius in my 70 year lifetime, most notably in 1976. The other thing to remember is the location of the thermometers.

Anthony Banton

Reply to JohnC

June 20, 2026 1:17 pm

I am 71, 72 next month and worked 32 years for the UKMO. 20 as an on-the-bench forecaster.
In 1976 I worked at RAF Binbrook and RAF Leconfield as a weather observer
For 5 and 11 sqd Lightning jets.

I very much remember the summer of 1976 as I had to commute from north Lincs via ferry across the Humber and up to Leconfield and stop in the sergeants mess for my round of shifts. The Humber bridge was still under construction.
Point is, it was not a regular summer occurrence …..

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2025/scorching-junes-how-often-do-we-see-temperatures-over-30c-in-june

”Using Met Office station data from 1960 up to the current day, a clear upward trend is visible in the number of weather stations recording temperatures of 30°C or higher during the month of June, a threshold once considered rare in the British Isles.
In the 1960s and 1970s, such high temperatures were infrequent and typically short-lived. For example, in 1961 and 1968, only a single day in June saw any station reach the 30°C mark. However, the summer of 1976 marked a dramatic shift. That June, the UK experienced an extraordinary heatwave, with multiple stations recording 30°C+ temperatures over nine consecutive days. This event remains one of the most intense early-summer heatwaves in UK history and the 1976 Summer as a whole is still the UK’s warmest summer on record for average maximum temperatures based on a series from 1884.
Following a quieter period in the 1980s and early 1990s, the frequency of these hot days began to rise again in the 2000s. The June 2005 heatwave saw over 80 stations report temperatures above 30°C on a single day. More recently, June 2017 and June 2020 featured multiple days of widespread extreme heat, with dozens of stations across England and parts of Wales and Scotland hitting the 30°C threshold.”

-4

Bryan A

Reply to Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 2:33 pm

Sounds cyclical. Akin to the 30year Positive/Negative phasing…
.
Atmospheric and oceanic research indicates that distinct 10- to 30-year ocean variability regimes exist in the Atlantic alongside the traditional 50- to 80-year Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO).
These shorter, decadal-scale rhythms operate differently than the classic AMO:

Two Regimes: Studies show that the Atlantic features two dynamically distinct oscillatory regimes: a 50- to 80-year cycle and a 10- to 30-year cycle.
Distinct Drivers: While the longer AMO is closely tied to the cross-basin circulation of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), shorter 30-year fluctuations are often more closely related to regional, atmosphere-driven variability (such as localized shifts in sea surface temperatures off the coast of North America and changes in Arctic sea ice export).
Real-World Impact: These faster, roughly 30-year fluctuations significantly influence localized weather patterns, marine ecosystem shifts, and multidecadal hurricane activity in the Atlantic

Mr.

Reply to Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 3:06 pm

So you were a loyal, committed employee.

Why did they sack you?

Mr.

Reply to JohnC

June 20, 2026 3:03 pm

I spent a month in London one week in June 1990 🙂

The temp topped 30C a couple of days.

Poms in the noon-day sun sitting on the edges of fountain ponds with their feet in the water.

The first rule of 30C is –
stay out of the sun.

Anthony Banton

Reply to Petit-Barde

June 20, 2026 11:17 am

Yes, it is for the UK (or at least used to be).
– do you live here?

“Do they hire clowns at the Met Office ?”

No, but they frequently get them on here criticising them from ignorance.
Yes, it is for the UK.
– do you live here?

“Do they hire clowns at the Met Office ?”

No, but they frequently get them on here criticising them from ignorance.

-14

Anthony Banton

Reply to Anthony Banton

June 20, 2026 1:37 pm

An American in England’s take ….

https://youtube.com/shorts/oryPxrcx2yc?is=qXq2W5Nov2jK1Eg2

-2

Bryan A

Reply to Petit-Barde

June 20, 2026 2:19 pm

We regularly see 86°F (30°C) in California.

ResourceGuy

June 20, 2026 10:44 am

That’s really pathetic of a government to be associated with such nonsense.

Steve Case

June 20, 2026 10:53 am

Power outages due to heat? Lightning and wind storms maybe but heat? No

MrGrimNasty

Reply to Steve Case

June 20, 2026 10:59 am

The power cuts angle does seem unlikely, there were a few minor local problems in 1976, but nothing widespread. But then there was negligible solar PV and wind power back then and a far more stable and controllable grid.

George Thompson

Reply to Steve Case

June 20, 2026 1:09 pm

Well,actually, now that you mention it-yes…but so very rarely as not to matter. I’ve seen the “high lines” sag and droop so low as to seem worrisome in serious Midwest heat, and I do mean serious, but it’s so rare, and to my knowledge not fail. Its the local lines that go-transformers, sub stations-the like.

MarkW

June 20, 2026 10:55 am

If it does result in power outages, it will because they spent their money building wind and solar rather than power systems that work.

Leon de Boer

June 20, 2026 10:59 am

That is actually funny someone at the UK Met office doesn’t know there is an electrical standard BS 7671 for the UK

Section 522.1.1 the ambient temperature range for general electrical equipment is -5°C to +40°C, with a daily average of no more than +35°C. Equipment designed to operate within this range does not require special ambient temperature marking.

Regulation 714.512.2.1 details outdoor lighting and equipment ambient temperature range of -40°C to +40°C.

If you have equipment failing at 30 deg it by definition doesn’t meet the UK standard.

It clearly states
Anyone involved with electrical systems must adhere to BS 7671, including:

Electrical designers and installers
Inspectors and testers
Property owners, landlords, and facilities managers
Manufacturers of electrical equipment

MrGrimNasty

Reply to Leon de Boer

June 20, 2026 11:37 am

You are forgetting that if the standardised measured air temp. is 40C, lots of equipment in the sun outside and in shut up houses will be considerably hotter.

Anthony Banton

Reply to MrGrimNasty

June 20, 2026 1:22 pm

He is also forgetting that the MetO talks to its customers, among which the Grid and Gas companies are amongst the biggest and as a result are well aware of their concerns.

-4

MrGrimNasty

June 20, 2026 11:41 am

The forecast for my town for Thursday is only 0.4C below the all time record, regardless of month.

This clearly is a very significant UK heatwave if the forecast is correct.

-1

James Broughton

June 20, 2026 11:59 am

I’m in Spain, what the UK is describing is weather that we have from the beginning of June until the end of August, almost without a single day’s break.
The climate alarmism is reaching levels in the UK, which is so ridiculous that only a climate nutcase could believe it.
Please, Nigel Farage, get in and sort this out.

Anthony Banton

Reply to James Broughton

June 20, 2026 1:28 pm

So let me parse that …
Because the UK now gets weather that is routine for Spain (~ 500 miles south), and has been for centuries, but has appeared here over the last 2 decades or so (NB I said regularly), then “alarmism” is somehow the province of a “nutcase”.

-2

Randle Dewees

June 20, 2026 12:00 pm

And here I was, happy our highs have dropped to 105F for a few days

Anthony Banton

Reply to Randle Dewees

June 20, 2026 1:19 pm

Where is “here”?

-2

JohnC

June 20, 2026 12:31 pm

The weather forecast for where I live is 32 degrees Celsius Tuesday to Thursday next week. The definition of a heatwave is three days or more of temperatures in excess of 25 degrees Celsius in most of the U.K. , for London the minimum temperature for a heatwave is 28 degrees Celsius.

1976:
”Heathrow had 16 consecutive days over 30 °C (86 °F) from 23 June to 8 July and for 15 consecutive days from 23 June to 7 July temperatures reached 32.2 °C (90 °F) somewhere in England. Furthermore, five days saw temperatures exceed 35 °C (95 °F). On 28 June, temperatures reached 35.6 °C (96.1 °F) in Southampton, the highest June temperature recorded in the UK. The hottest day of all was 3 July, with temperatures reaching 35.9 °C (96.6 °F) in Cheltenham.
The great drought was due to a very long dry period. The summer and autumn of 1975 were very dry, and the winter of 1975–76 was exceptionally dry, as was the spring of 1976; indeed, some months during this period had no rain at all in some areas.[citation needed]
The drought was at its most severe in August 1976 and in response Parliament passed the Drought Act 1976 to ration water.[7] Parts of the south west went 45 days without any rain in July and August. As the hot and dry weather continued, devastating heath and forest fires broke out in parts of Southern England. 50,000 trees were destroyed at Hurn Forest in Dorset. Crops were badly hit, with £500 million worth of crops failing. Food prices subsequently increased by 12%.[8]
In the last week of August 1976, days after Denis Howell was appointed Minister for Drought, severe thunderstorms brought rain to some places for the first time in weeks. September and October 1976 were both very wet months, bringing the drought to an end.
The Haweswater Reservoir had only 10% of its water left; people walked dryshod on its bed 60 feet (18 m) below its normal water level. The site of the flooded village of Mardale Green was dry.[9] Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire dried out and revealed the flooded villages of Ashopton and Derwent.[10]
In Ireland the temperature reached 32.5 °C (90.5 °F) in County Offaly on 29 June 1976.[11] There were also gorse fires in County Wicklow.”

SxyxS

Reply to JohnC

June 20, 2026 1:04 pm

As the UK had such heatwaves during the ice age scare
they should be a nothingburger in a warming scenario 🙂

strativarius

June 20, 2026 1:27 pm

MO Amber alert: the rest is bolleaux

gaz

June 20, 2026 2:24 pm

90F or 32C … just a nice warm day … causing problems? Get real!

MrGrimNasty

June 20, 2026 2:29 pm

MO is now currently forecast 39C for London mid week. Insane.

Edward Katz

June 20, 2026 2:42 pm

I guess such heat events have never occurred before, and if they have, how did the general population handle them? Was there a spike in heat-related deaths, illnesses, power failures, water shortages, etc.: or did everyone make the usual adjustments for above- or below-normal weather conditions and get on with living their lives? The climate alarmists consistently hope for the former occurrences so that they can demand major operational and living changes. The overwhelming majority of the population just ignores them.

wpDiscuz

Share this:

Related Posts

Hot town, summer in the city

Can You See The Climate Scare Slowly Fading Away?

Why Artificial Intelligence will Win the Green Energy War

Worry About Climate Fearmongering – Not Climate Change