A record-breaking heat wave could cause “danger to life” in the U.K., forecasters warned as scorching temperatures fueled wildfires and prompted weather warnings in several European countries. On Saturday Britain's government held a meeting of its emergency committee, known as Cobra, after the country's national weather service issued its first-ever “red warning” for extreme heat for Monday and Tuesday. It came after the U.K. Health Security Agency increased its heat- health warning from level three to level four — which constitutes a national emergency. Temperatures in southern England were forecasted to reach 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the Met Office said Friday. Across Britain, Met Office data showed that cities like London and Manchester would hit temperatures forecasted in long-range climate projections for the year 2040.
