The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a new yellow heat health alert covering most of England, warning of "significant impacts" across health and social care services due to persistently high temperatures. The alert, in effect from 9am Tuesday until 9pm Friday, warns of a rise in deaths, increased demand for health services, more water-related incidents, and internal temperatures in care settings exceeding recommended thresholds.
Regions Affected by the Yellow Heat Health Alert
Seven regions will be impacted: North West, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, and South West. Only the North East and Yorkshire and The Humber are exempt from the alert.
Heatwave Uncertainty and Forecast
The Met Office stated uncertainty over whether last week's hot weather was the UK's final heatwave this summer. Spokesman Stephen Dixon told the Mirror: "It’s simply not possible to know if this is the last official heatwave of the summer. We’re looking at the heatwave continuing through much of this week for many, though there is a forecast slight drop over the weekend, as we start to welcome more of a northerly influence." He added that temperatures would drop to the mid-to-high 20s Celsius rather than the current low 30s, with high pressure maintaining influence through the forecast period.
Heatwave Definition and Recent Deaths
A UK heatwave threshold is met when a location records at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the threshold, which varies by county from 25C in parts of Scotland to 28C in London. Over the next month, temperatures are expected to remain higher than normal, with possible thundery showers.
More than 2,700 people are thought to have died during the two heatwaves in May and June due to heat-related causes across England and Wales. Research by Imperial College London, the Met Office, and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine estimated about 550 deaths in the May heatwave (May 21-29) and a further 2,200 in the June heatwave (June 18-28). The hottest temperature recorded during that period was 37.7C in Lingwood, Norfolk on June 26.
