New heatwave possible with yellow health alert issued for parts of England

Independent

2 days ago

A yellow heat health alert has been issued across much of England for the start of next week with forecasters warning of another heatwave.
Temperatures could reach the mid-30s across central, southern and eastern areas of the country by Wednesday, the Met Office said.
The health warning, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covers London, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, East of England, the South East and South West, and will be in place from 12pm on Monday until 6pm on Wednesday.
Significant impacts across health and social care services may occur over the period due to the high temperatures, the agency said.
This includes the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
Grahame Madge, spokesman for the Met Office, said: 'The general pattern is that we'll see temperatures start to increase from Sunday and the duration of the heat is likely to last until Tuesday, possibly Wednesday.
'We're likely to see temperatures get to high 20s across quite a lot of the UK, and in the south we're likely to see the possibility of temperatures reaching mid-30s degrees centigrade across parts of central, southern and eastern England, with the likelihood that the heat will probably last longest in places like East Anglia, up through Lincolnshire and into Yorkshire.'
Exact temperatures cannot yet be identified but parts of the UK will be enjoying a 'hot spell' during the week, Mr Madge said.
The hottest day of the year so far saw 34.7C recorded at St James's Park in central London on July 1.
The heatwave threshold is met when a location records at least three consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value, according to the Met Office.
This is 25C for most of the UK, but rises to 28C in London and its surrounding area, where temperatures are typically higher.
'I think we we could be seeing parts of the UK have another heatwave by the middle of next week,' Mr Madge said.
'I'd be surprised if areas didn't make it on the duration and temperature value, but some places might reach those thresholds for a day or two before the temperatures come back down.'
He added the forecast becomes less clear beyond the middle of the week.
The latest warning comes after the UK has already experienced three heatwaves this summer.
A combination of amber and yellow heat health warnings were issued across England in June and July when temperatures exceeded 30C in several parts of the country.
Several water companies were forced to issue hosepipe bans for activities such as watering the garden, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools as part of efforts to protect supplies in the face of dry and hot weather.