The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for extreme heat in central and southern England and Wales.
The alert comes into force on Wednesday and Thursday.
Temperatures across Britain are expected to rise to near-record breaking heights.
The sweltering heat could last until at least Thursday, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters have said there is “growing confidence” that this week could break the record for the hottest June temperature of 35.6C, set in 1976 in Southampton.
The extreme heat could also disrupt rail, road and air travel, with the possibility of some tarmac melting, according to the Met Office.
For Monday, central southern England could see highs of up to 34C with the temperature set to climb to 37C on Tuesday in southern England and south-east Wales, Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said.
He added: “Then Wednesday and Thursday, both 38C but there’s potential for it to go higher and then by Friday, coming down a little bit, so we’ll see 33C and then it should ease off into the weekend but still stay quite warm, even into next week, although it won’t be anywhere near as warm as this week.
Dew points, which indicate how humid the air is, are forecast to reach around 22°C in places on Wednesday and Thursday. For comparison, during the record breaking July 2022 heatwave they were widely lower, highlighting how oppressive this heatwave will be.
It is now expected that the current UK highest temperature on record for June will very likely be broken, this being 35.6°C recorded in Southampton in June 1976 and Camden Square in June 1957. In addition, the Wales June temperature record of 33.7°C set in 2000 is also likely to be broken. The June record for Scotland stands at 32.2°C and for Northern Ireland it’s 30.8°C, and while these are less likely to be broken, even here we are expecting daytime temperatures in the high 20’s perhaps low 30’s °C.
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Mark Sidaway, said: “Red warnings are reserved for the most severe events and we’re expecting severe and significant impacts from this heatwave, with health impacts likely for many, even beyond those who are normally more vulnerable to the heat. The last time the UK recorded temperatures this high was in July 2022, but on this occasion the heat is expected to be accompanied by high humidity.
“As well as very high daytime temperatures, there will be consecutive nights where temperatures do not drop below 20°C, which is called a Tropical Night. This will make it very hard for people to recover from the daytime heat, exacerbating the heat stress impacts.”
The forecast heatwave brings with it the likelihood of record-breaking June temperatures and very high humidity. The combination of heat and humidity will be oppressive and bring impacts across society from public health and infrastructure, to power and water supplies.
The warning also highlights the potential of heat-related issues for a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply.
An increase in potential water safety incidents is also noted, as more people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes or rivers.
The UK Health Security Agency has also issued a series of Heat Health Alerts, which specifically highlight the potential health and social care impacts.
Leave a Comment