The Met Office predicts that temperatures will soar in central, southern, and eastern England, as part of a heatwave that will make some parts of the country hotter than Jamaica, the Maldives, and the Bahamas.
On Sunday, highs of 29.5 degrees Celsius were recorded in London and the South East, while Scotland experienced its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures just below 29 degrees Celsius.
The hot weather is expected to continue into next weekend, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Those in affected areas are advised to shade or cover windows and keep an eye on the elderly and the vulnerable.
What exactly is a Level 3 Heat Alert?
A Level 3 Heat Alert is issued when the Met Office confirms that the day and night threshold temperatures for one or more regions have been met, and the forecast for the next day has a greater than 90% confidence level than the day threshold temperature will be met.
This stage necessitates social and healthcare services focusing on high-risk groups.
When local services request it, NHS England and NHS Improvement will organise mutual aid.
Is a heat wave on the way?
A heatwave is defined by the Met Office as a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures reaching or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold, which varies by county.
In such cases, the Met Office issues a heat-health warning, which is then distributed to health and social care professionals so that they can work to reduce the impact of high temperatures on people’s health.
“We’re at the start of a potentially relatively long spell of warm weather for much of the UK apart from the far North West where it’s likely to be a bit cooler and cloudier,” said meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth.
“For some areas, namely parts of the South West, this is probably the start of their heatwave,” she added, “but for the more widespread heatwave threshold temperatures to be met, it’s likely to be Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.”
“Heat-health alerts have now been issued to the majority of the country, with temperatures set to remain consistently high throughout the duration of next week,” said Dr. Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at the UK Health Security Agency.
If you have vulnerable family, friends, or neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather.” “If you have vulnerable family, friends, or neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather.
The UK’s record high for 2022 is currently 32.7 degrees Celsius, set on June 17 at Heathrow.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a heat-health warning for the South East of England, which will be in effect from July 11 to July 15.
High pressure is going to dominate tomorrow, with lots of sunshine, particularly in England and Wales,” said Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst.
It will be hazy in Scotland and Northern Ireland at times, with thick cloud moving in from the north-west, possibly bringing rain.
“However, for the most of us, it will be a dry and sunny day, with temperatures reaching the high 20s in the morning and possibly reaching 33 degrees Celsius in the central, southern, and eastern parts of England.”
So tomorrow could be the hottest day of the year so far, at least on par with the current record, if not exceeding it.
It will also be very warm overnight into Tuesday, with temperatures in cities remaining in the low 20s, so many people may have an uncomfortable night.”
The hot spell is expected to end later this week, when a cold front is expected to arrive.
Temperatures, according to Mr Dewhurst, will remain in the mid-to-high 20s until the end of the week.
