Impact of extreme heat events on industries

Following a record-breaking warm and sunny spring for the UK, June continued the trend by becoming the warmest June on record for England. Scientific evidence has shown that these events are becoming more likely and more intense due to human-caused climate change.  

What was once considered exceptional is becoming increasingly common – the chance of experiencing summers as hot as 2018 has already increased to between 12-25% and could reach 50-60% by mid-century (UKCP Team, 2022), with this trend set to continue. 

Extreme heat poses significant challenges across multiple sectors, threatening critical infrastructure and disrupting essential services while imposing substantial economic costs.

Transport

“The July 2022 heatwave highlighted the UK’s transport infrastructure vulnerabilities to weather and climate change,” explains Erika Palin, Manager of the Science for Impacts, Resilience and Adaptation team at the Met Office. “During that heatwave, which saw temperatures reach 40.3°C at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, rail services were severely disrupted due to incidents such as buckling of rails under intense heat.” (ORR, 2023) Roads, flights, and the London Underground also faced significant disruption. Importantly, these systems are interconnected: disruptions in one area can cascade across multiple transport networks. 

Other disruptions occurred on the railway during the 2022 heatwave, with overhead electric cables sagging and trackside vegetation catching fire. Road infrastructure suffered similarly, with surfaces melting during extreme heat events, prompting local authorities to deploy road gritters to spread sand on melted surfaces to maintain safety. Similar disruptions also happened during the July 2019 heatwave and more recently in June 2025, when Central Bedfordshire Council deployed gritters to spread crushed stone on softening tarmac. 

Energy sector

Extreme heat creates multiple challenges for energy providers.  

“The July 2022 heatwave demonstrated how quickly the electricity grid can be compromised,” explains Phil Hodge, Met Office Senior Account Manager Energy. “15,000 properties in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Northeast reported losing electricity, some overnight. Power lines and transmission lines operated at reduced efficiency, with some transmission lines visibly sagging.”   

To reduce the risk of heat-related damage, engineers limit the capacity of overhead powerlines, helping to prevent dangerous sagging. “Already, in some urban areas, we’re seeing increased demand for air conditioning precisely when the powerlines can least accommodate it. Extreme heat can reduce grid capacity during times of increased demand, as summer cooling needs create new peak usage periods,” notes Emily Wallace, Met Office Climate Extremes Fellow. 

Agriculture and food production 

Livestock suffer significantly during extreme heat, experiencing reduced productivity, health issues, and mortality. The 2022 heatwave led to several million premature deaths of housed poultry and increased deaths during livestock transport. The Met Office has been working with Defra and other partners since 2015 to understand climate impacts on, and resilience of the UK agricultural sector. 

“The heatwaves we’ve experienced in recent years demonstrate how vulnerable our food systems can be to temperature extremes,” explains Pete Falloon, Met Office Science Lead Food Security. “While some crops may benefit from milder conditions in certain scenarios, the unpredictability of extreme heat events creates new challenges that require adaptive farming approaches. While there are practices that could help farming adapt to drought, heat and wildfires, the Climate Change Committee has reported that they are not being implemented fast enough.” 

Heat impacts extend throughout the food supply chain, causing stress to outdoor workers, straining refrigeration systems, changing consumer preferences, and increasing food safety risks from improper storage. 

Water resources and management 

July 2022 saw the driest month since 1935 for England as a whole, and the driest on record for East Anglia, southeast and southern England, with the UK seeing just 56% of its average rainfall for the month. Drought was declared by the Environment Agency in many parts of the UK in August 2022. 

"There is a strong relationship between high temperatures and water usage ", explains Joe Osborne, Industry Managing Consultant at the Met Office. “However, this relationship is non-linear for the most extreme heat events. During the 40°C heatwave in July 2022, water companies saw sudden spikes in consumption linked to human behaviour – people taking multiple showers, watering gardens, and the increased use of paddling pools. This created network pressure issues with an inability for supply to meet demand and this can even be the case during extreme heat events when reservoir/groundwater/river stocks are healthy." 

Construction and building operations 

Educational facilities are especially impacted during heat events, with recent Met Office research showing concerning trends. "What we're seeing in our risk assessments is alarming," explains Laura Dawkins, Expert Scientist in Climate Resilience, at the Met Office. "Under 4°C of global warming, which is still possible by 2100, the average school could exceed an indoor temperature threshold of 35°C - where we see important health impacts - for about 5% of the academic year. During the 2022 heatwave, we already saw schools in southeast England forced to close due to extreme temperatures." 

The Met Office is working with the Department for Education, University College London, the Ministry of Justice and Oxford Brookes University to assess heat impacts in schools, prisons and care settings. This collaborative research is applying spatial climate risk assessment frameworks to inform policy planning for these vulnerable sectors. 

Building business resilience 

With record-breaking temperatures becoming more frequent, organisations must adapt to environmental change. This means strengthening infrastructure to withstand future climates and improving responsiveness through early warnings and better processes. The Met Office provides essential support through weather intelligence and specialised services tailored to different sectors: 

• Energy sector: Forecasting tools and hazard briefings help energy companies prepare for heat-related infrastructure disruptions. Solar radiation forecasts improve electricity demand planning during peak cooling periods. 

• Water sector: Short-range and seasonal forecasts support water companies in managing unprecedented demand during heatwaves. This helps prevent network pressure issues even when water supplies are adequate. 

• Transport sector: Site-specific surface forecasts help authorities manage heat-related risks like melting tarmac. 

• Construction sector: Climate projections inform building design standards to prevent overheating in existing and new structures. A Climate Change Committee report highlighted that many existing homes fail to meet current overheating standards. 

Key Met Office resources include the Local Authority Climate Service (LACS) providing localised climate information, Climate Risk Assessment Training to help professionals interpret climate data, and the Climate Data Portal for visualising projections. Early warning services, including heat-health alerts, should be incorporated into operational decisions. 

Forward-thinking businesses that incorporate climate resilience into their strategy will gain competitive advantage in an increasingly heat-challenged economy. 

Read more about compounding challenges of extreme heat on businesses and industry.