Temperatures are set to climb to 32C in Greater Manchester this week as the fifth heatwave of the year approaches the UK. Elsewhere in the country, heat health alerts have come into force, with some areas set to see scorching highs of 36C next week.
Heat Health Alerts Active
The yellow heat health alerts became active at 9am on Saturday (August 8) and will run until 9pm on Tuesday (August 11). Only the North East and North West are not covered by health alerts.
The Met Office said temperatures will climb through the weekend as heatwave conditions return next week, with a high of 36C expected in parts of East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday (August 13).
Greater Manchester Forecast
In Greater Manchester, temperatures hit 27C on Saturday, with highs of around 23C and 22C forecast on Sunday and Monday, according to Met Office forecasts. By Tuesday, temperatures will rise to around 28C, before climbing up to 32C in some areas on Wednesday (August 12).
Trafford is expected to be the only borough to reach 32C, while Stockport, Manchester, Tameside, Wigan, Bury and Salford are forecast highs of 31C. Oldham, Bolton and Rochdale are expected to reach 30C.
Record-Breaking Year
It comes after two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June led to more than 2,800 excess deaths, and two more heatwaves in July have fuelled drought and wildfires. The highest temperature of the year was 38C recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on June 28.
There have been 33 days so far this year when temperatures have exceeded 30C somewhere in the UK. The record of 34 days – set in 1995 – is likely to be broken next week.
Wildfire Risk
Several wildfires also broke out in the UK over recent weeks, including blazes in Greater Manchester that burned for nearly three weeks. At one point, more than 100 firefighters tackled flames at Dove Stone, after a fire on Saddleworth merged with fires at Tintwistle and Swineshore.
Large blazes also occurred at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. Fires are likely to become exceptionally severe on Sunday for almost all of the east and south-east of England, according to the Fire Severity Index. “Exceptional” severity is its highest ranking.
