The Met Office is urging households in 51 areas across England and Wales to stockpile essential items ahead of an extreme heat amber warning starting Monday morning.
Amber Warning Details
The amber weather warning for extreme heat begins on Monday at 1am and continues until nearly Wednesday morning, ending at 11.59pm on Tuesday, June 23. Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s Celsius during the day and remain above 20C overnight in affected regions, including London, South Wales, the South East, and South West England. Even areas outside the warning zone will experience very hot conditions.
Potential Impacts
The Met Office has warned that the hot weather could cause heat-sensitive systems and equipment to fail, potentially leading to power cuts and loss of other services to homes and businesses. A 47-hour power cut warning has been issued for the 51 affected areas.
Items to Stockpile
In its advice, the Met Office urged households to gather the following six items:
- Torches
- Batteries
- A mobile phone power pack
- Water (for going outside)
- Sun cream
- A wide-brimmed hat
The Met Office stated: “People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.”
Safety Advice
To reduce the risk of heat-related illness, the Met Office recommends:
- Drink plenty of fluids
- Keep out of the sun
- Avoid exercise between 11am and 3pm when the sun is strongest
- Close curtains in rooms that face the sun
- If going out, take water, stay in the shade, wear sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat
The full alert states: “A developing hot spell is expected to peak on Monday and Tuesday and lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure. Temperatures are likely to reach the mid-30s Celsius in places. Some places, particularly in urban areas, may see temperatures remain above 20 Celsius overnight.”
Affected Areas
The 51 areas covered by the amber heat warning include:
- Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, 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
- Bath and North East Somerset, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire
- Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan
