The Met Office is considering issuing a rare amber or red extreme heat warning ahead of temperatures of 36°C or higher this week. Parts of the country are preparing for their fifth heatwave of the summer as the UK continues to suffer through an unprecedented period of hot, dry weather.
Temperatures are set to rise again tomorrow after slightly cooling off today. According to Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan, 'We’ll probably see highs reaching the mid-30s quite widely on Wednesday, and indeed on Thursday too for England and Wales.'
Potential for 36°C in Midlands and M4 corridor
Morgan highlighted specific areas at risk: 'On Wednesday, probably the Midlands, maybe a little bit further south, the M4 corridor, west of London, up towards the Midlands, is where we might have a small chance of reaching 36C in one or two spots.' He added that Thursday looks set to be the hottest day of the week, with 36°C a 'fairly reasonable probability locally' and a small chance of even higher temperatures.
The heatwave is exacerbating drought conditions, with half of England and all of Wales currently experiencing drought. Officials from the National Drought Group are meeting today to consider placing more regions under drought status.
Exceptional summer makes heat seem normal
Morgan noted the unusual nature of the summer: 'If it wasn’t for this incredible summer that we’re currently seeing, then we’d be talking about these temperatures as being really, very unusual. But of course, we’ve had such an exceptional summer, people have become a bit used to it.'
He warned of potential impacts: 'There is a potential for impacts, so impacts to infrastructure, things like railway lines and power networks, impacts to vulnerable people as well.'
Health warnings and excess deaths
Health officials have warned of significant impacts to health and social care, with a potential rise in deaths due to the heat. Nearly 3,000 excess deaths were caused by extreme heat in May and June in England and Wales alone. Yellow heat health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, the southeast, the southwest, the east of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London. The alerts continue until 9pm on Tuesday, but may be extended.
The Met Office is considering issuing rare extreme heat warnings, as Morgan explained: 'We sometimes issue extreme heat warnings, amber and red warnings, which we did back in June, so that’s under consideration at the moment.'
Water restrictions affect millions
More than 25 million people have restrictions on water use, according to the Environment Agency, with millions under hosepipe bans, including all South East Water and Thames Water customers.
