The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow heat-health alert affecting five regions of England, effective from Saturday, July 4, until Wednesday, July 8. The alert comes as the Met Office forecasts a return of hot weather, with temperatures potentially reaching 30C or higher by Monday, July 6.
Regions Under Alert
The yellow alert covers the East Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, and London. It will be in force from 12:00 PM on Saturday, July 4, until 5:00 PM on Wednesday, July 8.
This follows a recent extreme heatwave that saw temperature records broken on three consecutive days. A new June record of 37.7C was recorded on Friday, June 26, at Lingwood in Norfolk, surpassing the 37.3C recorded at Santon Downham in Suffolk the same day.
Forecast Details
The Met Office stated that high pressure is expected to build over the weekend, bringing dry and sunny conditions to large parts of the country. While temperatures could reach the 30s, they are unlikely to hit the June record. Additionally, the upcoming heatwave is not expected to feature the high humidity of the previous spell, making it feel less severe.
However, the Met Office warned: "There are early indications that further warm or hot weather may develop during the coming weeks, though uncertainty remains over the exact intensity and extent. Current signals suggest that any upcoming heat is likely to be less extreme than the recent spell but could persist for longer."
Potential Impacts
The UKHSA stated that due to the forecast temperatures, minor impacts are expected across health and social care services. These include increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people, greater risk to life for vulnerable individuals, increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm, and a possible rise in water-related incidents, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning.
The weather health alerting system, provided by the UKHSA in partnership with the Met Office, aims to provide early warning to the health and social care sector, responder community, voluntary and community sector, and government departments when adverse temperatures are likely to impact public health and wellbeing.
