What a difference a year makes.
This time last year, the Harrogate district was baking in record temperatures approaching 40C.
Last year’s hot weather, which came amid warnings about the impact of extreme heat, saw several schools close for the day.
Some businesses shut their doors, while others only opened for a few hours. Bin collections started early and were called off as the heat increased.
Dog owners and parents of small children were also out and about earlier than usual, trying to avoid the peak temperatures.
Dog walkers were out early before it got too hot
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service was among many around the UK to declare a major incident because of the level of demand it was facing. Harrogate and District Foundation Trust also said its services were under higher than usual pressure thanks to the weather.
However, the trust was also offering a more indulgent way for patients on its wards to keep cool – it handed out ice creams and lollies during the day.
Care homes were also ensuring elderly and vulnerable residents kept cool and hydrated. Vida Healthcare‘s chefs made jelly sweets, each containing 20ml of water, to help.
Today, however, the forecast is for top temperatures of no more than half that figure, with sunshine and showers through the day. The forecast for the coming fortnight remains similar, after heavy rain and thunder storms hit the district this month.
Heavy showers at last week’s Great Yorkshire Show
Meanwhile, Europe is experiencing an extended heatwave and hitting highs in the mid-40s every day.
The extreme weather is said to be caused by climate change, with experts predicting we will face more high temperatures in future.
Mike Kendon from the Met Office said:
“While the UK has always had periods of warm weather, what climate change does is increase the frequency and intensity of these warm weather events, increasing the likelihood of high temperature records being broken, like we saw for 2022’s annual temperature for the UK.
“It is particularly telling that of the 12 months of the year, for UK average maximum temperature the records for the warmest months include 2019 (February), 2018 (May), 2015 (December), 2012 (March), 2011 (April), 2011 (November), 2006 (July) and now 2023 (June).
“Statistics such as this clearly tell us of the changing nature of the UK’s climate and how it is particularly affecting extremes.”
Read more:
- Bystanders smash car window to rescue four dogs in Harrogate
- Harrogate hospital records increase in heat-related illnesses
Temperatures to soar to 30 degrees – but no weather warning for Harrogate district
Temperatures are set to soar close to 30 degrees in the next few days — but today’s extreme heat warning does not include the Harrogate district.
The Met Office has issued a four-day amber extreme heat warning for much of southern and central England from Thursday.
The warning, which predicts temperatures of up to 35C, extends north as far as Leeds.
Although the Harrogate district is not included, it is still set to be very warm for the rest of the week.
The Met office is forecasting temperatures of 29 degrees centigrade in Boroughbridge tomorrow, with the rest of the district a degree or two cooler.
Temperatures are not expected to fall until Monday to Tuesday next week when there could be thunderstorms.
Many farmers are praying for rain.
Yorkshire Water said today average stocks in its reservoirs were 51% last week, which is around 20% less than usual for this time of year.
https://twitter.com/metoffice/status/1556941086316236800
Read more:
- Image gallery: 72 hours of wild weather in Harrogate district
- Harrogate climate change scientist warns of more extreme heatwaves
Harrogate hospital records increase in heat-related illnesses
Harrogate District Hospital recorded an increase in heat-related illnesses during this week’s record-breaking temperatures as it also warned of extra pressures from a further rise in covid patients.
The hospital saw a 10% increase in visitors with conditions such as heat exhaustion or heat stroke, while covid patient numbers have tripled to 33 since the end of June.
Dr Matt Shepherd, deputy chief operating officer at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said demand on services was “higher than we would typically expect” for summer and that there is “no doubt” much of this was due to the pandemic.
He added:
“Extreme weather, such as heatwaves, also adds additional pressure on hospital services.
“We need to ensure that the people in our care and our staff are not unduly affected by increasing temperatures and we have severe weather plans in place to address any issues.
“Waiting times to be seen during these times can also be longer than usual due to demand.”
Temperatures are easing today after approaching 40 degrees in the district yesterday when North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a ‘major incident’ on the hottest day ever recorded in the county. It said today it had ‘stood down’ this status.
Gosh it was a hot one yesterday! ☀️ As you know we, like most other fire services around the country, declared a major incident due to the level of demand. The good news is we have now stood down this status and have returned to expected levels of demand.
— North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (@NorthYorksFire) July 20, 2022
As well as causing a surge in demand for emergency services, the heatwave also led to cancellations for train services and forced some schools to shut.
The forecast for today is still warm, but cooler on Thursday and Friday with highs of 19C in Harrogate.
Covid pressures
Covid infections and hospital admissions have been creeping up since the end of spring and after the emergence of the BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of Omicron.
Dr Shepherd said while most patients are not falling seriously ill with the virus, it was still causing pressure for the hospital which is battling long backlogs.
He said:
“Since we emerged from lockdown, our priority has been to reduce the backlog for operations and treatment.
“The increased number of planned operations being performed has added to the pressures, but it has meant we have been able to reduce our waiting lists and no longer have any patients who have been waiting over two years for treatment.”
Read more:
- Positive covid patients at Harrogate hospital doubles in three weeks
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service declares ‘critical incident’ status
The Harrogate district’s weekly infection rate has been climbing steadily over the last few months and currently stands at 288 cases per 100,000 people.
The latest figure is up from 52 in May, but well below the previous peak of 1,007 in March.
The increase comes as the government has announced that everyone aged 50 and over will be offered a booster vaccine this autumn to top up their immunity.
Younger people at high risk from covid, as well as health and social care staff, will also get the booster.
Dr Shepherd added:
Police to refer man who left four dogs in hot car to RSPCA“Covid vaccinations have been extremely successful in reducing the severity of the virus, however, the highly infectious nature of the new variants is having an impact at our hospital.
“Thankfully, most patients who have tested positive are here for other medical issues or surgical procedures rather than having acute covid symptoms.
“However, in most cases it does mean that their treatment cannot be progressed until they test negative, which increases the time they need to stay in hospital and reduces the number of beds we have available.
“Whilst we are much better prepared at treating covid than we were two years ago, this virus has not gone away and it still has a significant impact on the hospital and is still a threat to people’s health – particularly vulnerable or unvaccinated patients.”
North Yorkshire Police has said it will refer the owner of four dogs who were left inside a baking hot car to the RSCPA.
The Stray Ferret reported yesterday that bystanders at Oak Beck Retail Park off Skipton Road had to smash a Land Rover Discovery window to free the dogs.
They had been trapped for over half an hour without even a window open.
Fortunately, there were vets working at the nearby Vets4Pets, which is inside Pets At Home.
The Labradors were given treatment and after a health check that showed they were OK, were handed back to the owner.
But that might not be the end of the matter. A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson has confirmed that an officer spoke to the male owner and will refer the incident to the RSPCA.
A spokesperson said:
“Members of the public witnessed the dogs being left unattended with the windows up and seemingly without air conditioning for around 30 minutes.
“One of them smashed a window on the vehicle and the dogs were taken into the care of a vet.
“Police spoke to the owner of the dogs and are due to report him to the RSPCA.”
Read more:
- Four dogs rescued from hot car in Harrogate given back to owner
- Bystanders smash car window to rescue four dogs in Harrogate
What powers does the RSPCA have?
It is not illegal to leave a dog in a hot car but owners are legally responsible for their pets’ health and welfare.
If a dog becomes ill or dies in a hot car, the owner could be charged with animal cruelty under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This could lead to a prison sentence and/or a fine.
The charity has no legal enforcement powers or authority in its own right, so all prosecutions are brought via independent solicitors acting for the RSPCA.
The charity runs a regular ‘dogs die in hot cars’ campaign that warns motorists of the dangers of leaving a dog inside a car during hot weather.
A spokesperson said:
“Despite our very clear message each year, some people still continue to leave their dogs in hot cars thinking there is no risk, and many more take their dogs out for walks in hot temperatures when pavements are red hot.
“It’s so important to remember not to leave any animal in any vehicle or caravan, or in a conservatory or outbuilding, where temperatures can quickly rise, even when it doesn’t feel that warm outside.”
Harrogate firefighters dealt with five field fires on the hottest day of the year today.
On a day when North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident due to the number of call-outs, the crew at Harrogate attended three major fires.
At first they were called to a blaze near Forest Lane in Harrogate at about 1pm where an area of woodland measuring 20m x 20m had caught fire. Harrogate fire station put on Facebook:
“We believe a discarded cigarette, or strong sunlight shining through a broken glass bottle may have caused the fire.”
After extinguishing the fire, one of the Harrogate appliances was sent to a standing crop on fire in a field near Marton cum Grafton, between Boroughbridge and Knaresborough.
The fire station said on Facebook:
“Due to the extremely dry conditions the fire caught hold of four fields very quickly. The wind direction kept changing making the condition challenging.
“Fire crews also came to help from Knaresborough fire station, Ripon, Acom, and the water bowser from Tadcaster.
“Crews worked hard in the extreme heat (nearly 40 degrees!) to extinguish the fire using hosereel jets, main branches and beaters.
“Thanks also goes to the farmers for helping out and putting a fire break in the crop.”
While this was going on, the second Harrogate fire engine was called to a field on fire near Northallerton.
Read more:
“As you can imagine, the ground is tinder-dry at the moment making it easy for fire to spread quickly.
“So please do be careful if you are out and about. Make sure you discard cigarettes carefully and avoid having barbecues.”
