Tuesday was the hottest day on record but then came the hottest night.
And with the heat came the reminder of how poorly Britain is prepared to cope.
Heatwaves cause about 2,000 deaths a year here. Experts estimate by 2050 this figure could hit 5,000 to 7,000 without action to adapt homes and infrastructure.
The University of Reading’s Prof Hannah Cloke said: “We have to start thinking about heatwaves very differently, perhaps in the same way as we think about house fires.”
Here we look at the main changes required to ensure Britain is prepared for the future.
Homes
Scientists say we should start looking to the Mediterranean for tips on how to cope.
Heat eventually seeps through curtains and blinds. But external shutters, popular in Europe, keep the heat outside. Painting outside surfaces white can also help.
While air-conditioners are becoming an increasingly popular choice on the continent, using them is counterproductive as they contribute to climate change.
Instead harness the power of shade. Prof Cloke said: “They do this in very hot countries, it makes a massive difference.”
Insulation can also help – it can keep heat out in the summer just as it keeps it in during winter.
Another concern is the rising trend of empty offices being converted into homes, which without costly retrofits to make them safe, poses a “deadly risk”, says Prof Cloke.
Transport
Britain's transport infrastructure is not built to cope with temperatures near 40C.
Unfortunately it will take decades to replace our roads and railways in order to withstand higher temperatures as retrofitting is very expensive.
Network Rail said “We may need to consider changing our standards and engineering for more severe summers and less severe winters but for now, it’s still too early to make such an enormous decision.”
Until then Nigel Arnell, professor of climate change science at the University of Reading, said emergency plans must be in place to allow transport systems to cope.
He said: “It’s okay to have the East Coast Main Line railway closed perhaps once a year. But what happens if it is closed every July for 30 days? That wouldn’t be acceptable.”
Streets
Planting more trees in cities is regarded as vital to keeping residential areas cool.
Trees provide shade, prevent sunlight entering buildings and release water into the air in a process known as “transpiration cooling”.
An avenue of trees can be 10C cooler than a similar spot in direct sunlight.
Prof Cloke also said public cooling places could be provided, as they are in Canada and elsewhere, where air-conditioned buildings such as sports halls, or naturally colder ones such as churches are made available to the public.
Cooling water features in urban areas are important too.
Fire prevention
Abandoned single-use barbecues and glass bottles are among the main causes of the thousands of grass and open land fires recorded around the UK this summer.
Not only do they harm the environment and wildlife, they are putting people at risk and piling pressure on our stretched emergency services.
Keep Britain Tidy has called for a disposable barbecue ban to reduce the risk of wildfires. Portable campfires and cigarette butts can contribute to wildfires in parched areas.
Longer term, re-vegetating and restoring blanket bogs so land is naturally waterlogged will help reduce fire risk.
Ending the practice of heather burning on peat moorlands – done to boost grouse numbers for shooting – would cut risk too.
Awareness
The scorching temperatures have made headlines but experts say more action is needed to inform the public about the dangers they pose.
Bob Ward at the London School of Economics said: “One part of the solution could be to name heatwaves in the same way that winter storms are now given names, to gain the attention of the public.”
Prof Cloke added: “We also need to have more sophisticated forecast-based warnings that are more focused on people. It shouldn’t just be about peak afternoon temperatures, even though these really are very high indeed.”
They should take into account other factors, such as humidity and spell out the risk to people, she said, adding: “Heatwaves are silent killers.”
