The Met Office has warned people across England and Wales to avoid any exercise between 11am and 3pm as extreme temperatures of up to 40C are forecast. Red and amber weather warnings for extreme heat have been issued, affecting almost 100 areas. The warnings come as temperature records are expected to be broken in the coming days, with the mercury rising well above the seasonal average.
Regions Affected by the Heatwave
The regions under warning include London and South East England, East of England, North West England, South West England, the Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, and Wales. The Met Office has advised people to keep out of the sun and avoid any exercise between 11am and 3pm, when sunshine is strongest. Additional advice includes drinking plenty of fluids, closing curtains, and wearing sunscreen.
Warning Timings and Temperature Forecasts
An amber weather warning for extreme heat came into force this morning and remains in place until midnight on Tuesday. Another amber warning will then be in effect from midnight Tuesday until midnight Thursday. A red warning will be in place from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday. 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.
The Met Office stated: "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 Concerns
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
As a result of the abnormally high temperatures, the Met Office explained that the June record for the highest temperature in the UK will "very likely be broken." The current record stands at 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.
Full List of 98 Areas Affected
The areas impacted by the red and amber heatwave warnings 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.
