The Met Office has issued a rare red 'risk to life' alert as UK temperatures could soar to 40C this week in an 'exceptional spell' of hot and humid weather. The extreme heat alert comes into effect at 9am on Wednesday, June 24, and will remain in place until 9pm on Thursday, June 25, affecting parts of the UK.
Met Office Warning Details
The Met Office's warning reads: "An exceptional spell of hot and humid weather is expected across this region, with impacts to the general population highly likely." Further detail says: "During the heatwave expected to affect a large part of England and Wales this week, the highlighted area now looks increasingly likely to see a two to three day period where maximum temperatures in the shade exceed 37 Celsius, perhaps rising to 38 to 40 Celsius in some places."
The heat will be accompanied by high humidity, exacerbating the potential for discomfort and health impacts, with very warm and humid night times also reducing the ability for people to recover overnight. Significant disruption to daily life is likely and the public should take every effort to make precautions and adapt their daily routines where possible to cope with these levels of heat, which up to now have been extremely rare for the UK.
What the Red Alert Means
According to the Met Office, a red alert signifies a 'risk to life' and warns that people should 'take action' to keep themselves safe. A red alert means: "Dangerous weather is expected and, if you haven’t already done so, you should take action now to keep yourself and others safe from the impact of the severe weather. It is very likely that there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel, energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure. You should avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities."
Areas Affected
The red alert is in force across parts of West Midlands, Wales, south west England, London and south east England, east of England and East Midlands. As well as the red alert, an amber alert is in place across large parts of the UK including Greater Manchester, Midlands, Wales and more. It comes as the whole of England has been hit with red or amber UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) alerts which warn of an increased risk for elderly or vulnerable people due to the heat.
UKHSA Heat-Health Alerts
An amber UKHSA heat-health alert is in force across north west England this week. Significant impacts are expected across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, including: a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, with possible impacts on younger age groups; likely increased demand on all health and social care services; internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment; the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services; indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings; issues managing medicines; staffing issues due to external factors (for example, affecting transport); increased demand for power exceeding capacity; other sectors starting to observe impacts (for example, travel delays); and water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning.
