Hot or not: is UK sunny spell beating world hotspots?
Meteorologists have predicted that the hot weather the UK is currently basking in will continue until the school holidays – but how does the UK heat wave compare with the rest of the world?
Saturday was the hottest day of 2013 so far, touching 31.9 degrees celsius in Southampton, and temperatures are expected to exceed 30 degrees celsius on Sunday.
The heat wave makes it the hottest July in the UK since 2006 – and the temperature is looking set to remain high for the rest of the week.
Next weekend, when primary and secondary schools will break up for the summer, is likely to see temperatures in the late 20s. During the week, Wednesday is also forecast to hit temperatures of above 30 degrees celsius.
Supermarkets have reported huge boosts in the sale of barbecues, charcoal and paddling pools as people across the UK take advantage of the sunshine.
Compari-sun
So how does the UK heat wave compare with the rest of the world? Explore the graphic (right) to see how the temperatures, as well as cost of ice-cream and length of coastline, compares around the world.
The UK outstrips countries including South Africa, Australia and Russia for having the hottest capital city on Sunday – however, you can get a cheaper ice-cream in both Cape Town and Moscow.
More sun & heat to come;
Mon – http://t.co/K6UH7r6L9k
Tue – http://t.co/O8dB1UmSzL
Wed – http://t.co/ouzjUWIajA
Thu – http://t.co/jyowGv9VdD— Liam Dutton (@liamdutton) July 14, 2013
Russia also beats the UK for having the most coastline – though Channel 4 News would strongly advise you check local temperatures before packing your suntan lotion and jetting to the extremities of Siberia.
Countries topping the 100 degrees fahrenheit (40 degrees celsius) mark on Sunday include Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, whilst Argentina and New Zealand are considerably cooler.