The Met Office has issued an update on a rare extreme red heat warning as the UK is set to experience temperatures up to 36C this week. The forecaster has warned that disruption is likely across the nation as temperatures are expected to soar.
Potential for Extreme Heat Warnings
A heat warning may potentially be issued should the forecast remain the same. The highs will mean the UK is set to experience its fifth heatwave of the summer.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “We’ll probably see highs reaching the mid-30s quite widely on Wednesday, and indeed on Thursday too for England and Wales.
“On Wednesday, probably the Midlands, maybe a little bit further south, the M4 corridor, west of London, up towards the Midlands, is where we might have a small chance of reaching 36C in one or two spots.
“But Thursday at this stage looks the most likely hottest day of the week.
“So 36C is a fairly reasonable probability locally on Thursday and there’s a small chance it could get even higher than that.”
Drought and Health Alerts
The recent weather conditions have seen half of England and Wales plunge into drought, with more regions likely to be declared when officials meet at the National Drought Group on Monday.
Mr Morgan added: “If it wasn’t for this incredible summer that we’re currently seeing, then we’d be talking about these temperatures as being really, very unusual.
“But of course, we’ve had such an exceptional summer, people have become a bit used to it.
“There is a potential for impacts, so impacts to infrastructure, things like railway lines and power networks, impacts to vulnerable people as well.”
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat health alert for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London. This continues until 9pm on Tuesday but may be extended as the hot weather continues.
Record-Breaking Summer
Additionally, the Met Office is considering issuing rare extreme heat warnings ahead of the scorching temperatures forecast later in the week.
“We sometimes issue extreme heat warnings, amber and red warnings, which we did back in June, so that’s under consideration at the moment,” Mr Morgan said.
Another record is set to tumble this week after Sunday was the 34th day so far this year when temperatures exceeded 30C somewhere in the UK, equalling the record from 1995.
So far, the extreme weather of summer 2026 has included two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June that led to more than 2,800 excess deaths. Two more heatwaves in July, the driest July in England and Wales since records began in 1836, have fuelled drought and wildfires.
