Parts of England are set to swelter in a fresh heatwave this weekend, when temperatures are forecast to reach 32C with “muggy” air.
Yellow heat health alerts – which mean a greater risk to the lives of vulnerable people and higher demand for health and care services – have been put in place by the UK Health Security Agency across the South East, the East of England, London and the East Midlands until Monday.
The Met Office says southern parts of England will approach 30C by Friday, and temperatures may reach the low 30s in the hottest spots.
Some areas are likely to meet heatwave criteria by Saturday and more widely on Sunday, the experts said.
A UK heatwave threshold is met when a location records at least three consecutive days on which daily maximum temperatures meet or exceed the heatwave temperature threshold. The threshold varies by UK county. In London and the South East, that threshold is 28C or 27C.
Forecasters predict maximum temperatures of 32C on Friday in East Anglia, 28C on Saturday, and 32C in the South and south-east England on Sunday. The same areas could suffer 33C on Monday.
Last month, the UK sweltered in an early summer-style heatwave, during which at least 15 people, including children, died in open water.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Gregory Wolverson said: “This week’s weather reflects a contrast we often see in summer, with more unsettled conditions passing to the northwest of the UK while heat builds in the South and East.”
Meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey warned rising temperatures and humidity would be likely to come with overcast skies for many.
“But those temperatures are going to be rising nonetheless,” Mr Vautrey said. “And with that, it’s also going to be increasingly humid this time around.
“So I think people will certainly be noticing how muggy it starts to feel during the second half of this weekend, and some quite uncomfortable nights for sleeping well, with overnight temperatures in the high teens across southeastern areas of England.”
Mr Wolverson said: “We might not all see the wall-to-wall sunshine and blue skies we experienced back in May because there is more cloud around. There is also a chance of thunderstorms developing in places, particularly later each day, which could bring heavy showers and localised impacts.”
Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to have more cloudy weather and rain over the course of the week, with temperatures in those parts unlikely to rise above 20C to 21C.
Much of central and western Europe is also experiencing notable heat, with temperatures well above average in places, helping to feed warmer air towards the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency says a yellow heat health alert means an “increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm” and a likely rise in water‑related risks, including “from cold water shock and drowning”.
Last month’s record-breaking heatwave had the “fingerprints of climate change all over it,” a leading climate scientist told The Independent, warning that the UK government must do much more to adapt to the new reality.
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