The climate crisis is causing extreme weather extremes all over the world. Regions in northern latitudes are particularly sensitive to temperatures. In 2020, the UK weather agency launched a large-scale survey of the public to find out what kind of temperatures they think will happen in about three decades, 2050.
Now, even though 2050 is only 28 years away, their predictions seem to come true.
Simon Lee, an atmospheric scientist at Columbia University in New York, noted the striking similarity between the 2050 predictions and the UK prediction for early next week. “The forecast for Tuesday is shockingly nearly the same for much of the country,” tweeted Simon, adding that “Tuesday gives a glimpse of the future.”
In 2020, the @metoffice produced a hypothetical weather forecast for 23 July 2050 based on UK climate projections.
Today, the forecast for Tuesday is shockingly almost identical for large parts of the country. pic.twitter.com/U5hQhZwoTi
— Dr Simon Lee (@SimonLeeWx) July 15, 2022
Temperatures in the UK are forecast to be 10 to 15 degrees higher than normal early next week. High temperatures will approach 40 degrees Celsius for the first time. This prediction caused meteorologists to issue a “red alert” for the first time. The highest temperature ever observed in the UK was 38.7 degrees Celsius in 2019.
This forecast is also seen as a clear indication of how quickly the climate crisis is changing our weather. Because the realization of what is expected to happen in 2050 when there are still 28 years is very important in terms of explaining the seriousness of the situation.