Arabic version: المملكة المتحدة تواجه تنبيهات برتقالية مع اقتراب موجة حر إلى المناطق الجنوبية

Amber heat health alerts are in place across southern England, with temperatures set to climb above 30°C (86°F) during Friday. The Met Office said it could reach 32°C in the south of England on Sunday, and potentially 34°C or higher on Monday.

According to BBC News, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber alerts covering the east, south-east and south-west of England as well as London, which are valid until 20:00 BST on Tuesday. Yellow alerts are valid across the Midlands during the same period.

Amber heat health alerts are issued when high temperatures are likely to have a significant impact on health and social care services. They suggest there is likely to be an increase in deaths, especially among those aged over 65 or with long-term health conditions. Friday is expected to be the first very hot day. Temperatures in East Anglia are forecast to potentially reach 32°C, according to the Met Office.

It will be a different story for Scotland and Northern Ireland with outbreaks of heavy rain. Some wet weather will also affect parts of northern England and Wales and temperatures here will reach around 17-24°C (63-75°F), closer to the seasonal average. Saturday will be less hot overall, but temperatures are expected to rise again on Sunday and Monday. Sunny spells are likely but the heat may also spawn a few big thunderstorms.

The developing heatwave in the UK is influenced by a large and potentially record breaking heatwave developing across western Europe caused by a static area of high pressure. The high pressure can act like a lid causing warm air to get trapped underneath it. This leads to already warm or hot air becoming hotter and hotter, creating a so-called “heat dome”. In the coming days temperatures across Spain, France, Germany and into eastern Europe will rise into the mid to high 30s.

This June heatwave follows an unprecedented heat event in May, which saw record temperatures across the UK, including a high of 35.1°C (95.1°F) at Kew Gardens in London. The Met Office described this spring weather event as one of the UK’s most extreme high temperature events in our observational records.