A rare weather warning for extreme heat covering parts of England and Wales has come into force for just the second time ever.
Temperatures could hit 40C on Wednesday and Thursday in some parts of England and Wales as a “heat-dome” settling over western Europe has brought extreme conditions across the continent.
A red Met Office weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham came into force at 9am on Wednesday, and is due to last until 9pm on Thursday.
During the peak of the heatwave on these two days, the temperature could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C, which was measured in Lincolnshire in July 2022.
The latest heatwave is also expected to surpass the record for June of 35.6C set in Hampshire in 1976.
A combination of extreme heat and humidity could have an impact on public health, infrastructure, power and water supplies, the Met Office said, and could cause heat-related issues for a range of sectors such as transport, energy and water supply.
There could also be an increase in water safety incidents during the heatwave, the agency said, as more people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes or rivers.
BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said he expected the June temperature record to get “absolutely smashed”, telling the Today programme: “I think this afternoon we’re probably looking at highs reaching around 37C, maybe 38C, so by a big margin we are likely to set a new June temperature record.”
Overnight, temperatures across many areas stayed above 20C, with Brize Norton in Oxfordshire not dipping below 22.3C and Heathrow, west London, not dipping below 22.1C, the Met Office said.
