HEAT WAVE IN BRITAIN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26479, 5 June 1947, Page 7

HEAT WAVE IN BRITAIN

SERIOUS WATER SHORTAGE \

Rec 7 p.m. LONDON, June 3. As Britain’s almost record heat wave entered its tenth day, the Air Ministry weather experts predicted cooler weather for to-morrow. Although the Air Ministry, whose records go back only to 1940, stated that yesterday was the hottest June day for 30 years, the heat covers the whole of the Continent except Russia, where snow fell at Murmansk and Moscow is undergoing its usual cold spell. , „ London has now had five successive days on which the temperature reached 85deg or higher. This is a 73-year record, according to statistics kept at Kew. The temperature today al 2 p.m. was 92deg. The top temperature recorded to-day was 9"deg in the shade at Bury St. Edmunds. During the heat wave London’s water consumption to-day rose by 22,000,000 gallons to a new record of 428.000,000 gallons. Many areas were without water, and mobile tanks toured Essex, where 100,000 householders had no supplies. A temperature of 93.5 degrees in the shade at Greenwich Observatory at 3 pm. was the highest for June for 72 years. The highest temperature ever recorded at Greenwich was 100 degrees in August, 1911.