UK weather: Four-day extreme heat warning issued - as temperatures set to hit 38C
· Sky NewsA new weather warning for "extreme heat" has been issued by the Met Office - with UK temperatures set to reach as high as 38C next week.
The amber warnings now cover parts of England and Wales over four days next week - as much of Europe swelters in blistering heat.
The first amber warning for Monday and Tuesday covers central and southern England and parts of Wales.
A second amber warning has now been issued for Wednesday and Thursday, covering similar areas as well as parts of northwest England and North Wales.
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See the weather forecast where you are
The Met Office said temperatures are expected to reach 38C in London on Wednesday and Thursday.
Forecasters have "growing confidence" this week could break the record for the hottest June temperature of 35.6C set in Southampton in 1976.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: "It's particularly across central southern regions, where we have an extreme heat warning, an amber extreme heat warning issued, where we could see quite widely amongst the population some heat-related impacts throughout the week.
"Temperatures climbing towards the mid-30s in places, that is quite exceptional for June."
Heat is only half the story
Not only has the amber warning been extended through the week, there's still the potential for that warning to be upgraded to red as forecast temperatures are now higher than originally thought, weather presenter Jo Wheeler reports.
37 Celsius is expected on Tuesday, 38 on Wednesday and Thursday and 33 on Friday.
Even accepting that these headline figures could be a couple of degrees lower, or higher, there's now a 90% chance that we'll see the hottest June day since records began, snatching the trophy from the unforgettable June of 1976 when 35.6 Celsius was recorded on the 28th of June.
That was in Southampton by the way, and it looks as though it will be those southernmost counties along with southwest Wales that will be most likely to see the extreme heat this week.
London is unlikely to be a contender as we pick up a fresh easterly wind tomorrow which will move the higher temperatures westward.
If that June record is broken, as May's was last month, it will be the first time since 1911 that two subsequent months have experienced record breaking heat.
But the heat is only half the story.
When the 'hottest UK day ever' was recorded in July of 2022 (40.3C at RAF Coningsby), the humidity was just 5%.
This week, the humidity is likely to be around 20% giving a far more uncomfortable feel to the weather.
Don't expect any respite at night either. The humidity will stay high as well as the temperatures.
Tropical nights, where temperatures don't fall below 20C, will be fairly commonplace.
And it's more the combination of heat and humidity that has triggered the amber heat warnings.
Elsewhere in Europe, an ongoing heatwave has triggered weather warnings.
French authorities have put into place public alcohol restrictions and have cancelled some outdoor sporting events.
Highs of 40C are expected there on Sunday with Monday due to be even hotter. Emergency services and military forces have been put on wildfire alert.
In Spain, the first heatwave of the year was declared by officials as temperatures reached up to 40C in the capital Madrid.
Aemet, the state-run weather forecaster, said 13 of the country's 17 regions were under "orange" alerts for heat on Sunday, meaning residents were being advised to take precautions amid the severe conditions. Meanwhile, the Basque Country, in Spain's northwest, was on red alert, the highest level of weather warning.
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A public outdoor screening in central Madrid of Spain's World Cup match against Saudi Arabia this evening has been cancelled because of concerns about the heat, The Guardian reported.
Temperatures of 37C are also forecast in Rome on Monday.