A series of urgent amber heat health alerts have been issued for six UK regions this week as the latest blistering heatwave hits large parts of the country. The amber warnings are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South West, and South East.
They will come into effect from 9am on Wednesday (July 8) and run until 9pm on Sunday (July 12). The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned of significant impacts to health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including a rise in deaths and increased demand for care. This comes as temperatures in the UK could exceed 30C for up to 10 consecutive days, hitting 34C for some.
Areas of South-east England met official heatwave conditions on Monday afternoon, with more expected to qualify later in the week.
Temperatures are expected to climb from Wednesday, getting into the high 20 Celcius and low 30 Celcius across England and Wales. London and South-east England are due to peak around 34C on Wednesday and Thursday.
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Steven Keates said: “Parts of the UK are entering heatwave conditions: the third heatwave in the UK so far this year. However, unlike the May and June heatwaves, we are not expecting this heatwave to be record-breaking.
“Temperatures this week are not expected to reach the highs we witnessed last month, though parts of southern England in particular are likely to see several days in the low 30s Celsius, and a few places could reach 34-35°C later this week.
“Night-time temperatures again will not be as high as what we experienced in June, though some larger urban areas are likely to remain in the high teens Celsius overnight, especially later in the week, and there is a chance that a tropical night (where temperatures do not fall below 20C) may be recorded in a few places.
“Much of England and Wales will be hot, and the heat will extend to parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland too, though here peak temperatures are more likely to be in the upper 20s Celsius.
“With high UV and high temperatures, people should take the usual precautions with the heat and the sun.”