The Met Office has revealed exactly when a blistering 38C heatwave is set to blast the UK, with tens of millions of Britons set to come under extreme heat warnings. The UK’s national weather service has extended its extreme heat warning, from the initial two-day amber heat warning to a now four-day stretch.
A second alert has been issued for Wednesday (June 24) at midnight until 11.59pm on Thursday (June 25), following directly on from another alert, from Monday (June 22) to Tuesday (June 23) between the hours of 1am and 11.59pm. At times, temperatures are expected to climb to a scorching 38C, forecasters have earned. The Met Office said: “Hot and humid weather is expected to continue through the middle of the week, with exceptionally warm temperatures both day and night. “Population-wide adverse health effects are likely to be experienced, not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to potential serious illness or danger to life.
“Substantial changes in working practices and daily routines likely to be required. Failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment is likely, with the probable loss of power and other essential services, such as water, electricity, gas or mobile phone services.
“Delays on roads and road closures are possible, along with delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, with potential for significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays.”
“Very hot weather is likely to continue in general until at least Thursday across the highlighted region, although significant variations from place to place and day by day are likely,” the alert adds.
“Temperatures by day are widely expected to exceed 30 Celsius, with the hottest areas potentially peaking around 38 Celsius.”
The Met Office added that overnight temperatures are “unlikely” to fall much lower than the high teens, while some places will not fall below 20 to 21C. These high temperatures will also be accompanied by high humidity.
“Cooler conditions may begin to become established from the west following this period, but confidence is low.”