Extreme UK weather: flights halted as runways melt and temperatures exceed 38C

theguardian.com

48 pointsrguiscard6 comments

38C is only 100F. Asphalt gets tacky when its in 90+ degree heat for long, but its still safe to drive on. Are planes just so heavy that they sink into the runway? Or are runways made of softer stuff?

Possibly different mixes depending on the environment.

I think you're right. Apparently, tarmac is not only the name of the area of an airport, but also the name of a material, and tarmac is different from asphalt.

Not even that extreme compared to what’s happening in mainland Europe.

It's currently 37°C in many cities in the UK. France looks fairly similar. They're the two hottest countries on the continent right now, and the UK just recorded its hottest tempreature ever of 39.1 yesterday (with today expected to be hotter).

This time of year usually sees temperatures of 21°C highs and 12°C lows. This week we're seeing near 40°C highs and around 25°C lows.

I don't really know what you're counting as 'extreme'?

I was referring to the wildfires on mainland Europe. London had some too but not on the same scale.

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