The Mirror: News, Sport, Celebrity & Entertainment [Unofficial]Motorists who own cars without one crucial feature urged not to drive this week
Paul MorrisAs we're all passing around previous plausible future forecasts, here is today's released by the Met Office mimicking a slightly time-shifted 1976 heatwave set-up (long-lasting blocking high in the North Sea) in 2056.
Kit PetersHEATWAVE: ‘Check on older neighbours — it could save a life,’ Wales urged as red warning peaks
People across Wales are being urged to check on older relatives and neighbours as a rare red heat warning brings a risk to life this week.
The charity Age Cymru and the Welsh Government have both called for community action, with the Met Office forecasting highs of 36C in Swansea on Thursday.
The Met Office has issued a red extreme heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday, the most serious category, covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and much of southern Wales.
Age Cymru chief executive Victoria Lloyd said heatwaves could have a troubling impact on older people, many of whom do not realise they are overheating until they are already unwell.
She said those living with long-term conditions affecting the heart, lungs or kidneys were most at risk.
“With a rare red warning meaning a high risk to life, we’re urging the public to check in on older neighbours and relatives to see if they need anything or are struggling with the heat,” she said.
Simple gestures could make a real difference, she added, such as offering to pick up shopping or medication, or lending a fan.
Staying hydrated is one of the simplest ways to stay safe in the heat. Image: Age CymruThe Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health, Nerys Evans, said the extreme heat was a serious public health matter.
“Checking in on an older neighbour, a family member or a friend could genuinely save a life,” she said. “Nobody should suffer alone in dangerous temperatures.”
The minister, who is also the Senedd member for Sir Gaerfyrddin, said community action mattered as much as official guidance, and asked everyone to take a few moments to look out for those around them.
Anyone who feels unwell in the heat is advised to move somewhere cool, drink water and call NHS 111 for advice, or 999 in an emergency.
Age Cymru says there are some simple steps those most at risk can take to stay safe.
It advises staying out of direct sunlight, drinking plenty of water, and planning activities such as walking, shopping or gardening for earlier or later in the day, outside the hottest hours of 11am to 3pm.
With many homes not built for extreme heat, the charity also suggests keeping windows and curtains closed during the day to keep hot air out, then opening windows at night when it is cooler.
The heat is expected to peak on Wednesday and Thursday before easing towards the weekend.
Age Cymru has further advice on its website at agecymru.wales, or on its free advice line on 0300 303 44 98.
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HEATWAVE: ‘Hotter than the gates of hell’ — bus firm’s cheeky plea to passengers as red warning hits
A Neath-based bus company has tickled social media with a cheerfully honest warning to passengers ahead of this week’s extreme heat: yes, it’s going to be hot on board, and no, the air con isn’t broken.
With a rare red heat warning in force across South Wales, South Wales Transport got its excuses in early with a Facebook post that has had passengers chuckling.
The operator said it knew exactly what was coming once the mercury climbed.
“Why isn’t the air con working?” and “It’s hotter than the gates of hell on here!” were the messages it predicted would soon be rolling in.
So the firm offered a pre-emptive explanation — part science lesson, part comedy.
All its coaches have air conditioning, it said, apart from the ones “old enough to remember decimalisation,” and every unit was serviced within the past year, the most recent just a fortnight ago.
The problem, it explained, is physics. A 12-metre coach holds around 120 cubic metres of air that needs cooling, and on a full run it carries about 50 passengers — “roughly 20 times more people than your car, all generating heat, breathing, chatting, and generally existing at 37°C.”
Add what the company called the “giant windows acting like a mobile greenhouse,” and the air con units are, in its words, “basically fighting for their lives this week.”
The post saved its warmest sympathy for the drivers.
The company asked passengers to spare a thought for staff who spend all day behind “a windscreen the size of a conservatory, slowly roasting like a Sunday pork belly while smiling politely and pretending everything is fine.”
It signed off asking riders to stay hydrated and patient — and to offer a driver a cold drink if they saw one, “I can guarantee they are hotter than you.”
Behind the jokes, the heat this week is no laughing matter.
The Met Office has issued a rare red extreme heat warning for Wednesday and Thursday covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and much of southern Wales, with temperatures possibly reaching 38C to 40C in places.
Forecasters warn the heat brings a risk to health even for healthy people, and have urged everyone to stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, keep hydrated and look out for vulnerable neighbours.
An amber warning runs across much of Wales from earlier in the week, with very warm, humid nights making it harder to cool down.
It is shaping up to be a sweltering few days across the region — on the buses and off them, with Blackpill Lido still shut just as the region could have done with a dip.
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