London could be sizzling in a second May heatwave after a record-breaking week which saw temperatures reach 35C.
A new heat health alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency for parts of England, as officials warn of a greater risk of water-related deaths.
The yellow alert is in place between 4pm on Thursday and 8pm on Saturday for eastern and south-east England and London.
Temperatures reached 31.1C in Northolt, west London, on Thursday - warmer than a string of southern European hotspots, including Alicante, Ibiza and Barcelona.
The Met Office forecasted highs of 27C-28C on Friday and Saturday before things cool off on Sunday.
A heatwave is declared in London when the temperature hits 28C on three consecutive days.
Thursday’s heat was less intense than earlier in the week, when 35.1C was recorded at Kew Gardens on Tuesday - a record for May.
The Met Office said another “tropical night”, where temperatures remain above 20C, was unlikely.
In a post on X, the Met Office said: “A warm start to Thursday with showers, possibly thundery, pushing northwards and clearing northern England.
“Temperatures soon rising with sunshine turning hazier in the west.”
The outlook for Friday to Sunday states: “Largely dry with sunny spells and very warm once again on Friday. A band of rain then gradually spreads eastwards over the weekend introducing some fresher and possibly showery conditions.”
Thousands of people in Kent were asked to use water for essential purposes only after high demand during the heatwave caused supply issues.
Matthew Dean, South East Water’s head of operations control, said around 18,000 customers were experiencing water supply issue, and some would have intermittent supply until reservoir levels were restored.
“In preparation for this we have informed customers that while they have a supply they should put aside some water for essential use,” he said.
“We are continuing to ask customers in supply to use water for essential purposes only – for drinking, washing and cooking.
“We have bottled water collection stations already set up and are monitoring.”
The hot weather has attracted many to open water swimming, resulting in a number of deaths in South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, Cornwall, Hampshire, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Pembrokeshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire in recent days.
Declan Sawyer, 15, died after getting into trouble at Swanholme Lakes, Lincoln, on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, a 72-year-old woman died after being pulled from the water at West Angle Bay beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, at around 3.15pm.
A 13-year-old boy, understood to be Reco Puttock, died after getting into difficulty at Leadbeater Dam, near Halifax, West Yorkshire, on Monday, while the body of a teenage girl was recovered from the water at Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire.
The same day, a man in his 60s died of cardiac arrest after entering the sea at Tregirls Beach, Padstow, to help two family members who were in difficulty, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
The body of a teenager was recovered from the water at Rother Valley Country Park, Rotherham, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, South Yorkshire Police said.
Another body has been found in the search for a teenage boy who went missing after he was last seen swimming at Hawley Lake on the Hampshire/Surrey border on Tuesday afternoon.
A 12-year-old boy who died after getting into trouble in the River Ribble at Ribchester, Lancashire, on Tuesday was named as Junior Slater from Clayton-le-Woods.
On Wednesday, Cheshire Police said the body of a 17-year-old boy was found after he went missing in Pickmere Lake at Marston, Northwich.
NHS England said there were 20,092 visits to its heatstroke advice page on bank holiday Monday, compared with 488 the previous Monday. Over the whole weekend, there were 36,724 visits.
