Heatwaves
Heatwaves can be a critical issue for water safety in the summer because high temperatures can entice people to submerge themselves in water to cool down. This can lead to cold water shock if done in a disorganised or ill-considered way.
Although the air temperature seems high, the water temperature in Scotland remains very cold.
How to minimise the risk
The key advice from Water Safety Scotland is to only enter water when you can be sure it is safe – follow the water safety code and learn the advice given in our section on cold water shock.
Definition
From a meteorological perspective a heatwave in Scotland is defined as 3 days consecutively above 25C.
In 2022 this occurred 4 times across Scotland:
Date |
Duration (days) |
Region |
---|---|---|
22/06/2022 |
3 |
Eastern Scotland |
10/07/2022 |
3 |
Eastern Scotland |
17/07/2022 |
3 |
All Scotland |
09/08/2022 |
6 |
All Scotland |