Forecasts are predicting that the summer heatwave is set to continue in many parts of the UK, which seems too good to believe after the country has already enjoyed such a sustained period of sunshine and warmth.

The cause of the heatwave is down to the positioning of the jet stream and high pressure across the UK, leading to dry weather.

But needless to say, the scorching conditions and lack of rain have had a big impact on the environment. We’ve already heard of wildfires starting, reservoirs drying up, hosepipe bans coming into effect, and even the collapse of a historic oak tree, named Agatha Christie Oak after the famous crime writer, in Torquay.

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A shadow of its former self : the Agatha Christie Oak at Barton Cricket Club - I’ll be live with @PippaQuelch @BBCDevon 1720 pic.twitter.com/ypPHcvWHoB — Sophie Pierce (@sophiepierce) July 17, 2018

But new images from space have confirmed the wider effect on Britain’s land.



The Met Office shared the pictures on Twitter showing how the classic green pastures of the UK have turned yellow in the heatwave in just two months.

Twitter/Met Office

Captioning the tweet, they wrote: “You can’t help but have noticed the lack of rain in many areas over the last 10-12 weeks. It’s even changed the way the UK looks from space!’



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You can't help but have noticed the lack of rain in many areas over the last 10-12 weeks. It's even changed the way the UK looks from space! pic.twitter.com/T4Cjm8GMH3 — Met Office (@metoffice) July 18, 2018

Is this summer’s weather record breaking?

The Met Office website states: “As a whole, the UK has received just 47 mm of rain so far this summer (1 June – 16 July), making it the driest start to summer in modern records which date back to 1961, closely followed by 2013 with 59 mm of rain.

“However in 2013 although the first half of summer was very dry, an outbreak of thunderstorms and a few very wet days in late July changed things for many, leaving the summer of 2013 as a whole the 14th driest on records (dating back to 1910).”

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After a less hot interlude over the last couple of days, forecast models are suggesting temperatures creeping up again 🌡️ into next week, along with increasing humidity pic.twitter.com/UWaLTM4x47 — Met Office (@metoffice) July 18, 2018

The UK’s national weather service suggests that if this summer's weather continues as it has been, it could smash records. The maximum daily average temperatures across the UK have been 20.9°C, so not quite reaching the average temperatures in the hottest summer on record, 1976, of 21.0°C.

The Met Office confirmed: “If the rest of the summer is average, 2018 will certainly rank in the top 10 warmest summers on record and if we continue to see above average temperatures, it could well be record breaking.”

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