UK weather: heat health warnings issued across England

Amber heat health warnings have been issued across swaths of England as temperatures rise. Parts of the UK are forecast to be hotter than Bali this week, with thermometer readings likely to hit the mid-30s celsius on Tuesday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health warnings for all of England. The East Midlands, West Midlands, east of England, London and the south-east have been upgraded to amber from 9am on Tuesday to 6pm on Wednesday.

The south-west, Yorkshire and the Humber, the north-west and north-east have yellow warnings in place over the same period.

The agency said the heat was likely to have a significant impact on health and social care services, including the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among over-65s and people with health conditions.

Forecasters have said consecutive days of high temperatures could lead to the UK recording its fourth heatwave of the summer. The threshold is met when a location has at least three successive days with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value, according to the Met Office.

This is 25C for most of the UK but rises to 28C in London and the surrounding areas, where temperatures are typically higher.

The hottest day of the year so far peaked at 34.7C, which was recorded at St James’s Park in central London on 1 July.

Dr Paul Coleman, a public health consultant at the UKHSA, said: “These kind of temperatures can result in serious health outcomes across the population … so it is important that everyone takes sensible precautions while enjoying the sun.

“If you have friends, family or neighbours who are vulnerable, it is important to ensure they are aware of the forecasts and are following the necessary advice. Check in on them if you can to make sure they know that hot weather is on the way and how to keep themselves safe.”

Human-caused climate breakdown is supercharging extreme weather around the world, driving more frequent and more deadly disasters including heatwaves, floods and wildfires.

At least a dozen of the most serious events of the past decade would have been all but impossible without human-caused global heating.