Concerns as wildfire risk raised to ‘very high’ in parts of UK amid early summer heatwave

The wildfire risk in much of England and parts of Wales has been raised to ‘very high’ after the ongoing heatwave and lack of rain has caused tinder-dry conditions.

The Met Office said it expects the alert to be in place for the rest of the week as temperatures are forecast to continue to stay above average for this time of the year.

UK Wildfire Tactical Advisor, Craig Hope, told Sky News that climate change has caused the risk to be “elevated” and the fact the alert is being raised “very early in the summer” is “quite worrying”.

An extreme wildfire warning already covers northeast Scotland, with firefighters called out on Saturday (10 June) to tackle a blaze that broke out near Inverness.

Residents near the area were asked to stay indoors and close all windows and doors to prevent smoke inhalation.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said at its worst, six fire engines and specialist resources were sent out to tackle the blaze.

Between June and August last year 24,316 wildfires occurred - four times more than the amount between the same period the previous year.

Scientists have warned that climate change is making heat waves last longer and more intense which is causing an increase in wildfires.

The Met Office and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have predicted that the number of wildfires will increase globally by 14% by 2030 and 30% by 2050.

Experts told NationalWorld the UK will see “extreme” wildfires like the Mediterranean in the future that will last “into autumn” as temperatures rise.

Dr Gareth Clay, Reader in Physical Geography at the University of Manchester, said there will be more days in the year with “very high” fire danger and consistently higher temperatures means the length of the fire season will increase.

Darren Evans, Professor of Ecology and Conservation at Newcastle University, also confirmed that climate models are predicting summers in the UK will “continue to become hotter, drier and more like those of southern Europe” which will mean that wildfires “may well increase in frequency here”.

Last year climate experts told NationalWorld that extreme heat in the UK “will be the new norm” after the Met Office recorded the hottest ever day last summer when temperatures reached 40.3C at Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

Professor Evans said the trend of increasing wildfires “recorded each year in the UK” is “linked to the changing climate and is likely to continue.”

The raised wildfire risk comes as the Met Office forecasts an end to the dry conditions this week, with thunder and hail expected to sweep parts of the country.

Thunderstorms and hail are forecast on Thursday (15 June) and Friday (16 June) but “temperatures will remain above average for the time of year”, according to the Met Office.

Northern Ireland is expected to see between 20 and 25mm of rainfall within an hour and even some hail, before the unsettling weather spreads to parts of western Scotland, the North West and North Wales.

In its outlook from Saturday (17 June) to Monday (19 June), the forecaster said there will be “long sunny spells” with weather conditions “turning more humid”.

It added there will be “an increasing chance of thunderstorms across the south on Saturday and then more widely by Sunday and Monday.”

Looking towards the end of June the Met Office said “there may be a return to slightly more settled conditions” which would mean “reduced rainfall amounts for many” but temperatures are “likely to remain above average”.