The Met Office has issued a red ‘danger to life’ warning ahead of extreme heat engulfing England and Wales later this week.
The extreme heat warning, covering central and southern England and Wales including London, is in place on Wednesday and Thursday and is likely to lead to ‘population-wide adverse health effects.’
Humid conditions are forecast alongside potentially tropical nights, which occur when the overnight temperature does not fall below 20C.
The Met Office has also issued a four-day amber weather warning covering a larger area of England and Wales, beginning on Monday and lasting until Thursday, with the temperature set to reach up to 37C on Tuesday.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: ‘Then Wednesday and Thursday (will) both (reach) 38C but there’s potential for it to go higher, and then by Friday, coming down a little bit, so we’ll see 33C.
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‘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.’
The heat has sparked weather warnings and concerns for vulnerable people, as well as questions as to whether schools should shut in the heat.
But the Met Office says that in very extreme heat, people who are not normally vulnerable to high temperatures may still be at risk.
What do the Met Office weather warnings mean?
There are three different levels of weather warnings that the Met Office issues in the UK. They include:
- Yellow: Issued for weather that is likely to cause low-level impacts, including travel disruption in a few places. Many people may be able to continue with their daily routine, but there will be some that will be directly impacted.
- Amber: Issued when there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, which could potentially disrupt your plans. This means there is the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property.
- Red: Issued when dangerous weather is expected where there is very likely to be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure. You should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.
For more details on the weather warnings, visit the Met Office’s website.
Forecasters have said there is growing confidence this week could break the record for the hottest June temperature of 35.6C, which was set in 1976 in Southampton.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned people to expect significant impacts across health and social care services, along with a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
The extreme heat could also bring disruptions to rail, road and air travel, with the possibility of some tarmac melting, according to the Met Office.
On Monday, National Rail advised travellers to check their journeys in advance, allow for extra time, and to carry water.
Separate amber heat health alerts have been issued by the UKHSA, which now cover most of England from Monday morning until Friday night.
A UKHSA yellow heat alert is also in place for the North East of England during the same period.
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