The UK is braced for the fourth heatwave of the year as temperatures begin to soar, with warnings they could reach 34C.
The heat is set to peak in the mid-thirties in the south of England, according to the Met Office, with London marking 32C on Tuesday.
Other parts of the country are also forecast for high temperatures, with Manchester clocking highs of 28C on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesperson, said that while exact temperatures weren’t set in stone - and could hit the mid-thirties - many areas would enjoy a “hot spell” during the week.
“I think we could be seeing parts of the UK have another heatwave by the middle of next week,” he said.
A heatwave is identified when a location records maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value across at least three consecutive days, according to the Met Office. For most of the UK, this is 25C, but rises to 28C in London and the surrounding areas, where temperatures are typically higher.
“The general pattern is that we’ll see temperatures start to increase from Sunday and the duration of the heat is likely to last until Tuesday, possibly Wednesday,” said Mr Madge.
“We’re likely to see temperatures get to high 20s across quite a lot of the UK, and in the south we’re likely to see the possibility of temperatures reaching mid-30s degrees centigrade across parts of central, southern and eastern England, with the likelihood that the heat will probably last longest in places like East Anglia, up through Lincolnshire and into Yorkshire.”
Yellow and amber heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) across England from Monday to Wednesday, with warnings that lives could be at risk. At least one of the warnings covers every region.
Health bosses have warned of “significant impacts” across health and social care services as temperatures rocket.
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In areas covered by an amber health alert, the UKHSA says there will likely be a “rise in deaths”, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
The hottest day of the year so far saw 34.7C recorded at St James’s Park in central London on 1 July. As it gets hotter once again, Britain is expected to see its fourth heatwave after one in June and two in July.
It comes as Britons have said they feel unprepared for hot weather, with only half saying they would comply with hosepipe bans if they came into action, dropping to 35 per cent of 16- to 34-year-olds, according to new Ipsos polling of a sample of 1,075 adults across the country.
Nearly half – 48 per cent – of the public are either not at all or only somewhat prepared to adjust their work or daily routines as scorching temperatures become more frequent. Meanwhile, 62 per cent say they think climate change has had some influence on the recent heatwaves and droughts in the country.
However, 16 per cent think recent heatwaves and droughts are mainly caused by natural weather cycles, including a third (34 per cent) of Reform UK voters.
Commenting on the findings, Rachel Brisley, head of energy and environment at Ipsos, said: “Our research suggests that the majority of the British public don’t consider themselves to be prepared to adapt their lifestyles to heatwaves, and this includes an unwillingness, by almost half of those surveyed, to comply with hosepipe bans. This seems to be particularly true for younger generations.”
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