Tuesday could see the UK’s hottest day of the year so far, with some areas of south-east England predicted to reach temperatures of 32C (90F), potentially bringing an official heatwave. The Met Office stated that some places in England and Wales are likely to meet heatwave criteria later. However, it may be short-lived as a yellow alert for thunderstorms has been issued by the Met Office across large parts of both nations later in the week.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a Yellow Heat Health Alert for all areas of England, except for the North East and North West. This is the second of four tiers of alerts and means the heat is “unlikely to impact most people” but could affect the elderly and vulnerable. The UKHSA has warned that the hot spell may cause an “observed increase in mortality across the population likely, particularly in the 65-plus age group or those with health conditions, but impacts may also be seen in younger age groups.”
The UKHSA has also warned that there will probably be an increase in the demand for remote health care services, and internal temperatures in hospitals and care homes may become too hot for clinical risk assessments to take place. Many parts of the UK will experience temperatures four-to-five degrees warmer than the average for this time in July, with the hottest day of the year so far recorded on 19 July, when a temperature of 31.9C was recorded at St James’s Park in central London.
The Met Office defines a heatwave in the UK as “when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold.” It is possible that criteria will be met in a few places on Tuesday, with the threshold being 28C in the London area, and for Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and most of northern and western England it is 25C. If nowhere in Scotland reaches 25C on Tuesday, it will be the first July since 2010 that temperatures there have not reached this level.
The drier weather for much of the country is expected to break on Thursday, which is when the yellow warning for heavy rain and thunderstorms issued by the Met Office comes into force. The thunderstorm warning starts at 12:00 BST on Thursday and ends at 23:59. Most of southern England, the Midlands, parts of Wales, and much of northern England are covered by the alert, which warns of “lightning, hail and gusty winds” that could lead to some disruption. However, warm weather is due to return by Friday – below heatwave criteria but still about 20C in many areas – with some rain showers.
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