Amber heat health alerts issued as temperatures above 30C likely

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across the whole of England with temperatures likely to exceed 30C for the first time this year.

The alerts, which will be in effect from midday on Thursday until 09:00 BST on Monday, come as an expected heatwave approaches much of the country.

The UK Health Security Agency said “significant impacts are likely” for health and social care services including increased demand.

Temperatures will widely be between 27C and 30C on Thursday across east Wales, the Midlands, and East and South East England with a few locations around Greater London and the home counties reaching 31C.

Elsewhere, temperatures will climb to between 23C and 27C though along the coast it will feel cooler, with temperatures sitting around 20C.

It follows a period of high temperatures across the UK with yellow heat health-alerts having previously been in place.

The rising temperatures are down to an area of high pressure situated across the UK which, with a south-easterly wind, draws in hot weather from other parts of Western Europe.

A temperature of 29.3C was recorded at St James’ Park in London on Wednesday evening, just slightly lower than the record for the year so far which stood at 29.4C and was recorded in Suffolk on 13 June.

Some locations in Lincolnshire and Suffolk have already had two consecutive days where the temperature has exceeded the heatwave threshold of 27C. Thursday would make it a third day which would therefore place these parts in an official heatwave.

Friday will again see temperatures widely in the mid to high twenties across the UK, with a few spots in South East England once again exceeding 30C.

Northern and western parts of the UK will see a slight fall in temperatures on Saturday with the risk of some showers or thunderstorms.

A change in wind direction to a westerly on Sunday is set to cause the heatwave to break and all parts will be a little cooler.

Although eastern areas won’t be as hot, temperatures will still be in the mid to high twenties.