Feeling hot, hot, hot . . . (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Feeling hot, hot, hot . . .

4:50pm Thursday 2nd July 2009 in

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IT WAS a scorcher in Basingstoke this week as temperatures hit a whopping 32 degrees Celsius – and the hot temperatures are set to continue.

As the mercury climbed, families took to playing in the water at Eastrop Park to cool down, and running through the fountains at Festival Place.

Swimmers packed into the Aquadrome at West Ham Leisure Park, in Worting Road, as visitor numbers soared by almost 20 per cent this week from the same period last year.

Local businesses experienced a surge in demand for fan and air conditioning units and Wilkinson in The Malls Shopping Centre sold out of fans on Tuesday.

John Smail, an amateur meteorologist who records the weather from his home in Longparish, said: “This has been an unseasonably second half of June.

“The hottest day so far was last Wednesday, when temperatures peaked at 32 degrees. It has also been very warm during the night – on Monday night it reached 15 degrees.

“The rainfall has been very low and it’s the hottest it’s been at this time of year in recent memory.”

Jacqui Morris, marketing co-ordinator at the Aquadrome, said: “Our pools have been absolutely packed since the temperatures started to rise.

“From June 22 to 29, we experienced a jump in visitors, from 2,224 in 2008, to 2,713 this year.”

NHS Hampshire has also issued advice, warning people to look at the forecast and to plan their day so they stay out of the heat.

Dr Stuart Ward, clinical director of NHS Hampshire, said: “In a severe heatwave you may get dehydrated and your body may overheat. Keeping your home and yourself cool and drinking lots of fluids will reduce the risk of feeling unwell.”

The MET Office issued a Level 2 heatwave warning for the south east of England this week.

Its temperature forecast for the next few days for Basingstoke is above the mid-20s.

Head of health forecasting at the Met Office, Wayne Elliott, said: “The Heat-Health Watch is currently at Level 2, with the probability of heatwave conditions at 70 per cent.”

He added: “We expect this to increase to Level 3 during the course of the week.”