Amber Extreme Heat warning issued by Met Office as 35C heatwave approaches

· BBC Weather
PA Media

ByBen Rich
Lead Weather Presenter
Published

The Met Office has issued an amber Extreme Heat warning for parts of southern and eastern England and south Wales.

The warning is valid for Monday and Tuesday and warns of temperatures peaking at 35C (95F).

The nights will also be hot, remaining above 20C in some locations.

It brings the risk of impacts to health, especially for vulnerable people, and the danger of sunburn and heat exhaustion.

Some disruption and travel delays are also likely.

This is only the fifth amber Extreme Heat warning that has been issued by the Met Office since they were introduced in 2021 - and the first since the 40C heatwave of 2022, when a red warning was also issued.

It is separate from the amber and yellow Heat Health Alerts that had already been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

Those alerts, valid for regions of southern and eastern England until Tuesday, warn of significant impacts to health and social care services - with a likely increase in deaths among elderly and vulnerable people.

In contrast, this Met Office warning suggests that the heat will have impacts on the general population.

How hot will it get?

Temperatures on Friday are due to peak at 31-32C (88-90F) in south-east England, although it will remain cooler in northern and western parts of the UK where rain will continue to fall.

Slightly cooler air will arrive from the west on Saturday, although highs of 27 or 28C (81-82F) are still likely.

However, heat will build again from Sunday and by Monday and Tuesday temperatures will peak at 34 or 35C (93-95F) in south-east England.

By that stage, large swathes of England and Wales will see highs into the high-20s or low-30s Celsius.

It is very likely that many places will reach official heatwave criteria.

Long spells of sunshine will bring high or very high UV levels and pollen levels are also forecast to be very high in places.

High humidity will make it feel particularly uncomfortable and overnight temperatures may remain above 20C (68F) in places, giving little relief from the heat.

Some heavy downpours and thunderstorms are also possible, which could also bring localised disruption.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will avoid the worst of the heat but will still reach the low to mid-20s Celsius.