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Suddenly baking Britain weathers more pre-Olympics woes

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LONDON –- Can the British weather ever win?

For weeks, forecasters warned that the upcoming Olympics could be beset by rain, and organizers worried that some events at the Summer Games could be washed out after London had its wettest April and June on record.

On Tuesday, railway officials warned that some trains would not stop at the Olympic Park in East London because of extreme weather, causing travel headaches. But this time there was another reason: It’s too hot.

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The gloomy aspect of the last few months suddenly gave way this week to glorious blue skies and temperatures in the 80s, a level many Londoners had forgotten was possible.

While residents gloried in the fine spell, the high temperatures disrupted travel on some rail lines with old overhead cables, British news reports said. That included one line that stops at Stratford, the station closest to the Olympic Park; some services had to be suspended.

On Monday night, the uncharacteristic heat also caused tracks to buckle in East London, causing chaos for some of the tens of thousands of people trying to reach the Olympic stadium for a rehearsal of Friday’s opening ceremony. The Evening Standard reported that performers and spectators were seen sprinting to the stadium from the station to try to be in place on time.

Warm weather is now expected for the rest of this week. But Londoners accustomed to grumbling over how cold and damp it is can rest assured: Forecasts for next week, the first full week of the Summer Games, call for rain and temperatures possibly down in the 60s once again.

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