The Met Office has warned that next week's heatwave might feel "more uncomfortable" due to rising humidity levels. Temperatures are set to climb through the weekend, with scorching highs of 36C forecast in parts of East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday (August 13).
Heatwave Conditions Return
This comes amid a scorching summer which has seen two record-breaking heatwaves, in May and June, that led to more than 2,800 excess deaths, and two further heatwaves throughout July which fuelled drought and wildfires across the country.
Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Mike Silverstone said: “Temperatures will climb through the weekend and, more significantly, through much of next week. After a brief dip on Monday, high pressure will move across the UK before settling to the east, allowing a southerly flow to develop.
“A fairly widespread heatwave is likely across large parts of England and Wales, with hot conditions developing in places. The heat is expected to peak for much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland on Wednesday, with up to 34°C possible in parts of central and southern England and southeast Wales.”
Humidity Makes It Feel More Uncomfortable
The weather expert went on to say that humidity levels are likely to rise, which could make the next heatwave feel "more uncomfortable". Mr Silverstone said: "Humidity levels are also expected to increase through the week, which may make conditions feel more uncomfortable, particularly overnight.”
Normally, sweating cools the body because moisture evaporates from the skin. But when there's already a lot of moisture in the air, sweat evaporates much more slowly, making it harder to lose heat.
Health Alert Issued
A yellow "risk to life" alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) affecting seven UK areas from Saturday (August 8) until Tuesday (August 11). The UKHSA issues alerts when extreme high or low temperatures are expected to have an impact on health, particularly affecting elderly or vulnerable people.
The UKHSA has warned that minor impacts are likely across health and social care services, including increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people, greater risk to life of vulnerable people, increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm, and water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning.
The seven affected areas are: East Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire and The Humber. Just North East and North West are currently not included in the warning.
