‘I’m from Florida and the UK heatwave surprised me’

When it comes to sunshine and hot weather, the US state of Florida is well-known as being somewhere you can walk around in shorts and flip-flops all year round. Even in January it’s regularly around 16 degrees – a temperature we’d consider to be quite pleasant here in the UK. But one man who moved to the UK from the US state has said even he wasn’t prepared for the impact of the heatwave we’ve been basking in this week.

It’s been absolutely sweltering across the UK this week, with temperatures predicted to hit 40 degrees in some areas today, Thursday. And Brett, who moved with his UK-born wife Gemma from Florida to Britain, outlined one thing which shocked him about the heatwave.

Brett, who, along with Gemma, hosts the YouTube channel How Great is Britain, explained his experience in a video on TikTok. “A few months ago, my wife and I moved from Florida to England, and you would think that this type of heat that we’re experiencing – again – in England, would be somewhat second nature or normal to us,” he said. “But it is absolutely not.”

Continuing, he said: “What I’m realising is, part of moving internationally is having new experiences. One of my new experiences was just getting into the car, sitting down on the seat, touching the steering wheel, and making a noise that I have never, ever made before in my life. I can’t even recreate it.”

Describing the sound as “completely involuntary”, he continued: “It just came out of me. I didn’t know that I could make a sound like that. But that’s what this heat does. It is crazy intense.”

Concluding, he said he was “about to melt”. “So if you’re in this heat, if you’re under this dome like I am, stay cool out there,” he said. “It is a scorcher.”

When is the heatwave due to end?

The Met Office‘s red heat warning is set to last until midnight today (Thursday), with overnight temperatures not set to drop below 20 degrees in many areas. However, the end is in sight.

The Met Office said: “Thursday will see the peak of the heat for many, though those further east will retain extreme heat on Friday and Saturday and could continue to see further impacts, which has resulted in Amber warnings. The far southeast will retain the warmth the longest, though there should be a climb-down in figures by Saturday, with peaks around 32 degrees likely. Next week is likely to see a change to more of a westerly influence on the UK’s weather, with a return to more average temperatures for the time of year and a mixture of winds and rain, particularly for those in the North West.”

Meanwhile, some areas are expected to see heavy rain and storms on Friday. Wales will see the worst of the rain, with heavy downpours hitting Cardiff from 2am, and moving northwards into England until about 6am. In Scotland, a band of rain will strike through the centre and over Fort William at 2.15am before sweeping northwards. By 6.30am on Friday, the south of Scotland will have heavy showers over Edinburgh and sweeping up over Glasgow and Aberdeen.

It will also be a wet night in England, with showers moving over the West Country overnight and reaching up to Liverpool and settling over Northumberland at around 6.30am. Belfast could wake up to extremely heavy rain at around 7am.

By 9.30am, the majority of England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be largely dry, though a large band of showers will hang over Scotland. The forecast for Friday is “rather cloudy across northern regions with outbreaks of rain and thunderstorms, accompanied by hail and gusty winds”, the Met Office said.