The North East is preparing for a scorching start to the week with temperatures in areas of the region expected to be higher than Barbados as the heat continues to crank up towards record-high temperatures.
An amber warning initially covers all of England on Sunday and extends to southern Scotland and Wales from Monday until Tuesday. However, on Monday and Tuesday, parts of the country are expected to hit unchartered territory following the Met Office's first red extreme weather warning in the UK.
The Met Office has predicted that Durham is expected to hit highs of 32° on Monday and 35° on Tuesday while Barbados stays at around 30° each day. An amber weather warning is in place for the region from tonight until Tuesday evening predicting 'extreme heat'.
Read more North East hour-by-hour weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday
A statement on the Met Office website said: "After a very warm night, hot weather, already underway across other parts of England and Wales is expected to develop more widely across Wales, southwest and northern England, plus parts of southern and southeastern Scotland.
"Some exceptionally high temperatures are possible, both by day and by night, for Monday and Tuesday. This following a warm weekend, will likely bring widespread impacts to people and infrastructure."
Some areas in England that have been issued with a red weather warning on Monday could see temperatures set to close to the UK's record of 38.7C. The rare warning has forecast that the high heat is "likely to develop from Sunday, likely peaking early next week, leading to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure."
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab has said people should be resilient enough to be able to “enjoy the sunshine” during the coming days.
With temperatures forecast to hit 40C on Monday and Tuesday, Mr Raab urged people to take “common sense” precautions.
“Obviously there is some common sense practical advice we are talking about – stay hydrated, stay out of the sun at the hottest times, wear sun cream – those sorts of things,” he told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme.
"We ought to enjoy the sunshine and actually we ought to be resilient enough through some of the pressures it will place.”
Asked if people should consider working from home, Mr Raab said: “That is for employers to consider and people to decide. I’m not going to start dictating things like that. But obviously we have got more flexible working. So that will also help with this kind of thing."
The new Health Secretary has said extra measures are being put in place for ambulance services as an extreme heat warning comes into force.
Steve Barclay said additional contingency support, such as more call handlers and extra working hours, are being put in place on Monday and Tuesday.
Meteorologists have given an 80% chance of the mercury topping the UK’s record temperature of 38.7C, set in Cambridge in 2019 – with the current heatwave set to peak on Tuesday.
Amber weather warning: what to expect
- Adverse health effects are likely to be experienced by those vulnerable to extreme heat. Government advice is that 999 services should be used in emergencies only; seek advice from 111 if you need non-emergency health advice.
- The wider population are likely to experience some adverse health effects including sunburn or heat exhaustion (dehydration, nausea, fatigue) and other heat related illnesses
- Some changes in working practices and daily routines likely to be required
- An increased chance that some heat-sensitive systems and equipment may fail, potentially leading to localised power cuts and the loss of other services to some homes and businesses
- More people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents
- Some delays to road, rail and air travel are possible, with potential for welfare issues for those who experience prolonged delays
Looking ahead to the next few days
Tonight:
A very warm evening with some late sunshine. Partly cloudy skies and some clear spells overnight. Feeling rather warm and muggy. Minimum temperature 14 °C.
Monday:
Long sunny spells and light winds, with very hot daytime and overnight temperatures. Highest temperatures once again across the south. Maximum temperature 33 °C.
Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:
Another exceptionally hot day and night Tuesday, with sunny spells and chance of showers. Cloudier and cooler Wednesday, with showers or longer spells of rain. Sunny, dry and warm Thursday.
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