Flights halted as runways melt and temperatures exceed 38C in parts of England

[brooklynite]

Source: The Guardian

Luton airport has been temporarily shut to flights following a runway defect – believed to be due to the record temperatures. Flights that took off earlier today destined for Luton have been diverted to alternative airports such as Stansted. Passengers on an EasyJet flight from Catania in Sicily were told by the captain that they were unable to land at Luton because parts of the runway had effectively melted.

Flying activity was also halted at RAF Brize Norton, with Sky News reporting that part of the runway had melted.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/live/2022/jul/18/uk-weather-heatwave-met-office-warning-forecast-temperature-london-schools-latest-updates

[Grokenstein]

1. Denialists: "Runways have ALWAYS melted at Luton!"

"This is completely normal! Just relax and have some ice cream!"

[dalton99a]

3. +1

[efhmc]

2. Talk to Manchin

[truthisfreedom]

4. 38C... isn't that just 100.5F?

What kind of asphalt melts at a hundred degrees?

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Asphalt in a country where the record, set 3 years ago, is 101.7F

Until 2003, the UK record was 98.8F: https://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/08/10/uk.heat.record/index.html

[NullTuples]

12. Asphalt that is formulated for lower expected temperatures.

Also, the asphalt gets a bit hotter than the air temperature.

[paleotn]

13. What they said above +

Design parameters. The conditions when the asphalt is laid (temp), plus conditions expected during its lifetime are taking into account with respect to asphalt binder viscosity. Some of these roads, tarmacs etc. were laid in the 70's / 80's and before. 100+ F in the UK wasn't even an extreme possibility back then. Trying making taffy in a freezer. You'll want something with such low viscosity at freezer temps, it will be a puddle at room temperature. Extreme, but the same concept.

[Model35mech]

6. Melting or buckling? There's a difference...

CNN says the runway 'lifted', which sounds like buckling to me. Buckling occurs when heat causes roadways/runways to expand, the result of sections pushing against each other is to lift/buckle segments of the roadway/runway

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/uk-airport-suspends-flights-amid-melting-runway-reports/index.html

When I was a kid in the 60's this was a common problem on Chicago expressways. The buckled/popped uproadway damaged cars and impeded traffic.

It is also possible for 'hot air' to become a problem with planes ability to develop lifting forces, not a problem with runways at all, but rather a problem with heated and 'thinned' air not creating the usual lift at speeds for take-off.

I'm not sure what's going on, but it isn't good for British air-travel.

[Martin68]

7. There is some irony in this. first of all, England has historically enjoyed mild temperatures. Their

houses and usually not air conditioned, and they've been built to conserve heat, not keep them cool. Secondly, if global warming proceeds to disrupt the ocean currents that warm Britain, as some scientists have hypothesized, England could subsequently turn into a very cold place. Like, "out of the frying pan and into the icy crevasse."

[FakeNoose]

9. If the Gulf Stream and North Atlantic currents shut down, they are goners

The UK, the Scandinavian countries, and much of northern Europe depend on those warm currents to keep their temps moderate. Without the warming currents, middle and northern Europe would freeze up in a matter of hours. It would bring on an instant Ice Age.

[ananda]

8. Climate change reality strikes a conservative-led country.

And btw, climate change has never been a matter of belief.

It's always been a cold, hard reality since the 70's.

But conservatives and fossil fuel companies have been
managing the message and owning the politicians and
courts that have kept mitigation in check.

They even kept mass transit in check here in the USA.

I remember that Humble Oil bought up all the tire
manufacturing that they would only allow on cars
and not buses.

Tom Delay kept mass transit from happening in Texas
too.

[sheepfarm]

10. Meanwhile, Ireland records it's highest temperature in over a century

...at 33.0C (91.4F) and only 0.3C below the all time record.

Highest temp in over a century as mercury hits 33C in Dublin

A temperature of 33C was reported from the weather station at Phoenix Park in Dublin at 1pm today, Met Éireann has said.

This is a provisional report but, if confirmed, it will be the highest temperature ever recorded in Ireland in July and breaks the high temperature records for the 21st and 20th century.

The highest temperature ever reported in Ireland was 33.3C at Kilkenny Castle in 1887. Met Éireann said this record stands but some have called in recent years for it be reassessed.

Meanwhile, many Met Éireann weather stations have recorded temperatures of over 30C today including in Mullingar, Co Westmeath, Oak Park in Co Carlow and Dunsany in Co Meath.

https://www.rte.ie/news/weather/2022/0718/1310766-weather/

[screamcheese]

11. Not so hot

Good grief. It's 39 degrees C (102 F) here in Colorado right now!

[NutmegYankee]

14. But it's the UK, much farther North and classically a mild Maritime Climate in the Kppen system.

These are extremely unusual temps for them.

On Edit: Apparently the title block hates umlauts. Kppen = Köppen climate classification system.

[LudwigPastorius]

15. Wow. It's almost hot enough in England to actually cook their "bacon".

[Casady1]

16. How about a warning

turns my stomach.

[LudwigPastorius]

17. Imagine being 21 years old, on tour in the UK with a band, and horribly hungover, when...

that comes out to greet you for breakfast.

I can. (good times...)

[IronLionZion]

18. When tea and toast with jam just won't do the job

ugh, I don't think I could eat a full English fry up without being horribly hungover

[JI7]

19. What are those black circle shape things ?

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. Probably black pudding, though it might be haggis

It looks a bit too dark for haggis.

[LudwigPastorius]

21. They're not Oreos, that's for sure.

Blood pudding