The Met Office has extended its rare extreme heat amber weather warning, set to come into force for most of England and Wales. The alert had been put in place for Sunday, July 17 and will now also run through the whole of Monday with the possibility it may be extended into Tuesday.
The Met Office warns of 'population-wide adverse health effects' which they say will not be limited to the most vulnerable. The warning says there could be 'potential serious illness or danger to life'.
The warning reads: "Government advice is that 999 services should be used in emergencies only; seek advice from 111 if you need non-emergency health advice."
It says that 'substantial changes in working practices and daily routines likely to be required' and there is a warning of the danger of many people visiting coasts, lakes and rivers.
There are likely to be delays on roads and cancellations of trains and planes.
A Met Office spokesman said: "Temperatures will rise again later this week and over the coming weekend, likely peaking on Sunday and Monday, but may last into Tuesday in places. Some exceptionally high temperatures are possible and cumulative effects of warm nights and hot days are expected to bring widespread impacts to people and infrastructure."
There is a 30% chance that Sunday will be the hottest day ever recorded in the UK.
On Monday, the Met Office issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat across parts of the UK ahead of further soaring temperatures this week.
(PA Graphics)
The Met Office said the warning is being enforced across the East Midlands, east of England, London, South East, North East, North West, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.
The warmest day on record in the UK was the 38.7C scorcher recorded at Cambridge Botanic Garden in July 2019.
On Monday, Wales recorded its hottest day of the year so far as the mercury reached 28.7C in Cardiff’s Bute Park.
(PA Graphics)
In England, the temperature peaked at 32C in Northolt, west London.
England’s hottest day so far this year remains the 32.7C recorded at Santon Downham, in Suffolk, on June 17.
Network Rail has warned speed restrictions are likely to be in place this week on some parts of the network most affected by the hot weather.
Fire services have urged people to have picnics instead of barbecues during the warm weather after a spate of grass fires.
The AA Driving School and RAC meanwhile said motorists should carry water with them, start their journeys earlier in the day, plan their routes and check their vehicles before setting off.
Fire services have urged people to have picnics instead of barbecues during the warm weather (Damien Storan/PA)
Hampshire County Council also said it was preparing to deploy gritters to protect cars against melting roads.
The Met Office says the mercury is predicted to rise to 30C in London, Chelmsford, in Essex, and Sudbury, in Suffolk, on Tuesday while the rest of England is expected to see temperatures soar to the late 20s.
The whole of England is largely expected to experience sunny days with some cloud over the next week to match the temperatures of mid to high 20s.
It will cool off a little on Friday, with the north-west and north-east of England predicted to have some rain with temperatures reaching highs of 19C.
Temperatures are expected to spike to 32C in Reading and London on Sunday and in excess of 35C in the southeast.
The rare warning states the scorching temperatures could cause a danger to life or health (Damien Storan/PA)
Scotland and Northern Ireland meanwhile are predicted to have a cloudier week, with rain forecast for Tuesday and Friday.
Weather forecasting models suggest it is possible – though not likely – temperatures could reach 40C in the UK next weekend.
A Level Three Heat Health Alert has also been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) from 9am on Monday to 9am on Friday in the east and south-east of England, with the rest of the nation having a level 2 alert in place.
The four-level system highlights the potential health impacts of these high temperatures.
On Monday, Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge told the PA news agency: “Parts of south-east England could exceed 35C on Sunday.
“At the moment, we are looking at a 30% chance of seeing the hottest temperature recorded in the UK.”
