London

What set out as a hypothetical thought experiment two years ago, is all set become a reality. A UK weather forecaster which predicted what would be the weather forecast in 2050 proved trued 28 years earlier than expected.

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According to CNN, meteorologists at the UK Met Office conducted an interesting thought experiment about what the forecasts will look like in 2050.

They ran some calculations using super long-range climate models during the summer of 2020 to see what kind of temperatures the world would witness about three decades later.

At that time, the Met Office's graphics said, "Not actual weather forecast."

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"Examples of plausible weather based on climate projections."

But that “plausible weather” prediction will become reality on Monday and Tuesday.

An atmospheric scientist at Columbia University in New York, Simon Lee, pointed out the striking similarity between the 2050 outlook and the forecast for early next week in the UK.

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"Today, the forecast for Tuesday is shockingly almost identical for large parts of the country," he tweeted, adding in a later post that "what is coming on Tuesday gives an insight into the future."

The meteorologists have issued a "red" heat warning for the first time ever on Tuesday, with temperatures touching 40 degrees Celsius (around 104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the UK for the first time.

UK Met Office's climate attribution scientist Nikos Christidis in a statement said, "We hoped we wouldn't get to this situation."

"Climate change has already influenced the likelihood of temperature extremes in the UK. The chances of seeing 40°C days in the UK could be as much as 10 times more likely in the current climate than under a natural climate unaffected by human influence."

He further said that the chance of exceeding 40 degrees is "increasing rapidly."

(With inputs from agencies)

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