UK braces for 30C heatwave after June’s record heat
LONDON — England’s first ‘yellow heat alert’ begins on Saturday after London reaches 30C – higher than Barcelona.
The warning, issued by the UK Health Security Agency [UKHSA] for parts of the East MidlaUK HSAEast of England, London, South East and South West, is in place until Wednesday evening. “Minor impacts are likely across health and social care services, with a risk to life possible for the same group as other cases and hospital admissions potentially more likely as a result of the heat,” a spokesman for the UKHSA said.
The Met Office said hot air from France would arrive across southern Britain as a high-pressure system moved across from the Azores.
Forecast temperatures on Friday are set to reach 28C, with a peak of 30C due to occur on Sunday, with meteorologist Tom Morgan saying “there’s a good chance” that the temperature will climb to 32C over the weekend. It comes after the warmest June in England since records began in 1884, which saw 37.7C recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk. The Met Office predicted that this heatwave would feel “less suffocating” due to less humidity than the heatwave experienced last month. People over the age of 65, infants, and individuals with certain existing health conditions, including respiratory or heart disease, are at the highest risk, according to advice from the NHS.
Beachgoers Enjoy the sunny day on the beach at Botany Bay in Broadstairs
At Oakwood Care Home in Croydon, the manager, Sarah Jenkins, said there were extra fans and cold drinks “on every floor” of the building.
“We do struggle to keep the heat out of the old building. 30C isn’t extreme to some people, but for a very frail person it is potentially lethal,” Ms Jenkins said. Care providers were encouraged by the UKHSA to be “prepared for the increased demand for care, particularly with vulnerable patients”.
Allergy UK also cautioned that asthma may be exacerbated by thunderstorms that are expected to follow the warm weather, due to high levels of pollen and pollution. Flats, with their higher proportions of vulnerable residents, make some areas like the City of London and Hackney more susceptible than outer boroughs dominated by houses, experts warned. London temperatures are expected to hit 30C or above for the majority of next week, according to Met Office forecasts.