The Met Office has issued amber heat health alerts for London and most of England as the summer's fifth heatwave is set to push temperatures into the mid-30s Celsius again. The alerts cover the East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, North West, South East, South West, and West Midlands, while a yellow alert is in place for the North East from Tuesday August 11 at 9am until Friday August 14 at 9pm.
Heat to peak on Thursday
According to the Met Office, after a relatively cooler Monday, temperatures are expected to climb later this week, peaking on Thursday. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: "The heat really comes back in for a time, and will peak on Thursday. We're expecting values to be in the mid 30Cs, and possibly highest in the East."
This heatwave follows a tragic weekend in which an 18-year-old died after getting into difficulties in the sea at Camber Sands beach, East Sussex, on Sunday. This brings the total number of fatalities in open-water incidents during the hot, dry summer to over 40, according to Press Association estimates.
Drought conditions spread
Half of England and all of Wales are already in drought, with 23 million customers facing hosepipe restrictions as rivers and reservoirs drop to critically low levels. Farmers are warning of a "brutal harvest" for crops and insufficient feed for livestock. The National Drought Group, which includes government and agency officials, water companies, and farming leaders, is meeting again on Monday, with more areas of England expected to be declared in drought.
Major wildfires have struck the Pennines, Scotland's Cairngorms, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, with firefighters battling hundreds of blazes. The dry conditions have been exacerbated by successive heatwaves, including unprecedented May and June temperatures that resulted in over 2,800 excess deaths, according to official data.
Rain unlikely to make a dent
Although the weekend may bring some rainfall, including to southern areas that have seen weeks without precipitation, forecasters caution it will not be enough to offset the deficit. Mr Madge explained: "It will be welcome for gardeners and for others, but we're not going to get a lot of rain and not enough to make up for the shortfall we've had over the summer."
Provisional data shows that England and Wales experienced their driest July since records began in 1836, with 19 English counties recording no rainfall at all during the month. Met Office figures also show that Southern England had its warmest July on record, Wales its joint warmest, and both the UK and England their second warmest July.
Climate change impacts
Britain is increasingly dealing with the consequences of more severe weather phenomena such as drought, heatwaves, and wildfires, driven by climate change, which is primarily caused by burning fossil fuels in power stations, vehicles, home heating, and industrial processes. The Met Office said it did not expect to issue amber or red warnings for hazardous heat this time, as conditions would remain dry rather than humid, which elevates health risks, unlike late June when an exceptional red alert was triggered.
