The Met Office has issued a four-hour warning for Merseyside and many other areas across the UK, urging people to avoid any exercise between 11am and 3pm as temperatures could soar to 40°C over the coming days. Red and amber weather warnings for extreme heat are now in effect.
Warnings and Timing
An amber weather warning for extreme heat came into force this morning and will remain until midnight on Tuesday. A second amber warning will then take effect until midnight on Thursday. Additionally, a red warning will be in place from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday.
The Met Office has advised people to keep out of the sun, drink plenty of fluids, close curtains, and wear sunscreen. The warning covers almost 100 areas, including London and South East England, East of England, North West England, South West England, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, and Wales.
Temperature Forecast
Temperatures are expected to exceed 30°C, with some of the hottest areas potentially reaching 38-40°C. Under the red warning, temperatures in the shade will exceed 37°C and likely rise to 38-40°C in some places.
According to the Met Office: "Temperatures will quickly rise on Monday and are forecast to reach 34°C in southern parts of England. However, this brings with it the chance of thundery showers for some. The heat will build further into Tuesday, with highs of 37°C forecast for southern England and 35°C in southeast Wales. The peak of the heatwave is now forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, when temperatures are expected to climb to at least 39°C and there remains a chance of this being exceeded in places. By Friday conditions will be less hot, with highs of 32°C forecast across eastern areas."
Overnight Heat and Humidity
Overnight temperatures will also be very high, with widespread Tropical Nights, where the temperature does not drop below 20°C, across parts of England and Wales, especially in urban areas. Humidity is also a factor, making this heatwave even more impactful with heat stress a danger to all.
Records Likely to Be Broken
The Met Office explained that the June record for the highest temperature in the UK will "very likely be broken." The current June record is 35.6°C in Southampton in June 1976 and Camden Square in June 1957. The June temperature record in Wales, 33.7°C in 2000, is also likely to be broken. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK is 40.3°C in July 2022 at Coningsby in Lincolnshire, meaning this record could also be broken in the coming days.
Areas Affected by Red and Amber Warnings
The areas impacted include: Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, Thurrock, Bracknell Forest, Brighton and Hove, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Greater London, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Medway, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Portsmouth, Reading, Slough, Southampton, Surrey, West Berkshire, West Sussex, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham, Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Greater Manchester, Halton, Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington, Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Torbay, Wiltshire, Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire, East Riding of Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire.
Residents in these areas are urged to take precautions and stay safe during the extreme heat.
