The UK is set to experience its fifth heatwave of the year, with yellow heat health alerts issued and temperatures expected to soar to 36°C in parts of East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday. The alerts, active from 9am on Saturday to 9pm on Tuesday, warn that the hot weather could affect the wellbeing of the population, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Heatwave conditions return
The Met Office said temperatures will climb through the weekend as heatwave conditions return, with a high of 36°C expected in parts of East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday. This comes after two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June that led to more than 2,800 excess deaths, and two more in July that fueled drought and wildfires.
The highest temperature of the year so far was 38°C recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on June 28. There have been 33 days this year when temperatures have exceeded 30°C somewhere in the UK, and the record of 34 days, set in 1995, is likely to be broken next week.
Weekend weather split
Forecasters said the weekend will see a north-south split in the weather, with Scotland and Northern Ireland likely to see spells of heavy rain, while England and Wales will remain largely dry, sunny, and increasingly warm. Temperatures could reach 30°C on Saturday, before climbing into the low 30s in southern and south-east England on Sunday.
Highs of up to 30°C are possible across parts of England and Wales on Tuesday, increasing to 32°C to 34°C on Wednesday, with the highest temperatures currently expected on Thursday. The UKHSA has issued yellow heat health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.
Wildfire risk and environmental concerns
The National Trust is asking people to sign a petition calling on the Government to make tackling climate change a national mission. This comes after several wildfires have broken out in the UK over recent weeks, with large blazes at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.
According to the Fire Severity Index, fires are likely to become exceptionally severe on Sunday for almost all of the east and south-east of England. The index's highest ranking is 'exceptional'. The Met Office data includes rainfall, temperature, and humidity, and agencies use the index to assess the severity of a fire if it starts, though it does not cover the chances of wildfires occurring.
Drought and reservoir levels
Reservoir storage in England has dropped to 69%, down from 72% a week ago and nearly 12 percentage points below the long-term average for the time of year, the Environment Agency said on Friday. Storage stood at 85% at the end of June, which was the average for that point in the year, but has fallen steadily in recent weeks.
Five reservoirs are now classed as having 'exceptionally low' levels: Blagdon in Somerset (54% full); Clywedog in Powys, which provides water for central and north-west England (62%); the Dove group of reservoirs in Derbyshire (74%); Hanningfield in Essex (60%); and Wimbleball in Somerset (50%).
Last month was the driest July for England and Wales since records began in 1836, according to provisional figures released by the Met Office. Nineteen counties across England recorded effectively no rainfall – 1mm or less – across the whole of the month, Met Office figures show.
