Amber heat health alerts have been issued for most of England as temperatures are forecast to soar into the mid-30Cs again this week. The alerts cover the East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, North West, South East, South West, and West Midlands, while a yellow alert has been issued for the North East. These alerts are in place from Tuesday August 11 at 9am until Friday August 14 at 9pm.
Heat to peak on Thursday
The Met Office expects temperatures to climb into the mid-30Cs later in the week, after a relatively cool day on Monday, with the heat peaking on Thursday. This comes as more areas of England look likely to fall into drought as the UK's extreme summer continues.
An 18-year-old died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Camber Sands beach, East Sussex on Sunday, bringing the number of deaths in open-water incidents over the hot, dry summer to more than 40, according to Press Association estimates.
Drought and wildfires
The National Drought Group, made up of government and agency officials, water companies and farming leaders, is meeting again on Monday, with more areas of England expected to be declared in drought. Already half of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, and 23 million customers have hosepipe bans as rivers and reservoirs run low. Farmers warn of a “brutal harvest” for crops and a lack of feed for livestock.
Major wildfires have hit areas such as the Pennines, the Cairngorms in Scotland, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, as firefighters have been forced to grapple with hundreds of blazes.
Health advice and warnings
Polly Ashmore, acting consultant in public health at the UK Health Security Agency, urged people to take simple steps to stay safe and check in with vulnerable friends and family. She said: “Drinking plenty of water, avoiding the sun during the hottest part of the day and keeping indoor spaces cool are all things you can do to keep yourself and others safe.”
She added: “For vulnerable groups including older adults and those with existing health conditions, warmer weather can result in serious health outcomes. We urge health and social care services to ensure they are prepared and encourage people to check on vulnerable friends and family to make sure everyone is aware of the forecast, follows the necessary advice and stays safe in this period of hot weather.”
Forecast details
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said that, after fresher conditions on Monday, “the heat really comes back in for a time, and will peak on Thursday. We’re expecting values to be in the mid 30Cs, and possibly highest in the East.”
Although it will be short-lived, the heat will be widespread, with high temperatures seen up into Scotland – which has been hit by heavy rain in recent days. As the weekend arrives, the heat will subside quickly, and low pressure could bring rain into the south, Mr Madge said, but added that it would not be enough to “make a dent” in the shortfall seen until now.
England and Wales have had their driest July in records dating back to 1836, with 19 counties of England seeing no rain for the entire month, provisional statistics have shown. Southern England also had its hottest July on record, while it was the joint hottest July on record for Wales, and the UK and England had their second hottest July, Met Office figures show.
