The Met Office has updated today's "extreme heat" amber alert to cover a swathe of new areas as parts of the UK face 38C. There are now 47 places covered by the alert, which warns "adverse health effects are likely to be experienced" in the coming hours.
Alert timing and coverage
The alert came into force at 9am this morning and runs until midnight. It covers areas of the East Midlands, East of England, London and the South East, North West England, South West England, West Midlands, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
The Met Office warning added: "The highest temperatures will be in parts of the the Midlands and western England, where 37 or even 38 Celsius could be reached."
Health risks and power cuts
It says homes and businesses could be impacted by power cuts in some areas as heat-sensitive systems and equipment are more likely to fail in the extreme heat.
"Adverse health effects are likely to be experienced by those vulnerable to extreme heat," the Met Office warned, adding: "The wider population is likely to experience some adverse health effects including sunburn or heat exhaustion (dehydration, nausea, fatigue) and other heat-related illnesses."
Some changes in working practices and daily routines are also likely to be required in the affected areas and some heat sensitive systems and equipment may fail, with the potential for some power cuts and the loss of other services too, the forecaster warned today.
Water safety and travel disruption
"More people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents," the warning continued. "Some delays to road, rail and air travel are possible, with potential for welfare issues for those who experience prolonged delays."
Affected regions and local authorities
East Midlands: Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Rutland.
East of England: Bedford, Cambridgeshire, Central Bedfordshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Suffolk, Thurrock.
London & South East England: Bracknell Forest, Buckinghamshire, Greater London, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Reading, Slough, Surrey, West Berkshire, Windsor and Maidenhead, Wokingham.
North West England: Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Greater Manchester.
South West England: Gloucestershire, South Gloucestershire, Swindon, Wiltshire.
West Midlands: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, Warwickshire, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire.
Yorkshire & Humber: North Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire.
Meanwhile on Friday Northern Ireland is covered by a yellow weather warning for thunder storms as heavy rain may bring disruption. Where they develop 10-20 mm of rain could fall in less than an hour, with a chance of a few areas seeing 20-30 mm in less than an hour, the Met Office said.
"This could lead to some flooding in places. Lightning, hail and gusty winds will be additional hazards," in the affected area between 6am today and 11am tomorrow.
