Big Ben finicky in its old age

Apparently Big Ben has inexplicably stopped several times in history, and recently did so again. While nobody really knows why the clock stops, weather and damage from the Luftwaffe attack during WWII are possible causes. The article doesn't explicitly state the latter, but in regards to the former notes that

There has been speculation a recent spell of hot weather may have been to blame. Temperatures in London reached 90 Saturday, and forecasters called it England's hottest day in May since 1953.

Yesterday I read that Seattle, Washington is under a heat advisory, and that the temperature there has gotten up to a positively sweltering 89 degrees Fahrenheit in the past week.

Poor dears. I can't imagine how they'd react to living in Yatsushiro, Japan, or Augusta, Georgia.