Britain is preparing for three uncomfortable nights this week, with temperatures forecast to stay above 20C in many places, leaving people with little relief from the intense daytime heat.
Some parts of England and Wales could see daytime temperatures climb to record levels of at least 38C, while forecasters have also warned of “heat stress” as so-called tropical nights — when the mercury does not fall below 20C — are expected across the country.
In the worst-affected areas, overnight conditions may remain close to 30C, prompting the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to issue a range of yellow and amber heat alerts.
The hottest overnight spell is currently expected from Tuesday evening into Wednesday morning, when conditions in some locations could feel as warm as 28C.
London, Birmingham and Nottingham are all forecast to experience “feels like” temperatures of 28C that night, while Sheffield is expected to feel only slightly cooler at 27C.
Cardiff is set to feel like 26C, while further south, Brighton and Dover are both forecast to feel closer to 25C.
Across the rest of the country, conditions are expected to feel like 24C in Manchester and Bournemouth, 23C in Norwich, 22C in Penzance, and 21C in both Liverpool and Newcastle.
Scotland, by contrast, is likely to see somewhat cooler nights, with temperatures forecast to feel like 17C in Edinburgh and 16C in Glasgow.
People enjoy the hot weather on Bournemouth beach in Dorset over the May bank holiday last month
A woman uses an umbrella for shade in the warm weather, on The Queen’s Walk in London
Spectators sit in the sun during the match between Australia’s Alex de Minaur and Brandon Nakashima of the USA at the HSBC Championships at Queens Club in London
The Met Office reported on Sunday that temperatures across the country will quickly rise on Monday morning with parts of southern England forecast to reach 34C.
Then on Tuesday, highs of 37C and 35C are anticipated for southern England and southeast Wales, respectively, before climbing to scorching temperatures of 38C on Wednesday and Thursday at the peak of the record-breaking June heatwave.
The Met Office said: ‘Overnight temperatures will also be very high, with widespread tropical nights, where the temperature does not drop below 20C, across southern parts of England especially in urban areas.
‘Humidity is also a factor, making this heatwave even more impactful with heat stress a danger to all.
‘Dew points, which indicate how humid the air is, are forecast to be around 22C on Wednesday and Thursday.
‘For comparison, during the record-breaking July 2022 heatwave they were only in single figures, highlighting how oppressive this heatwave will be.’
The Met Office said it is ‘now likely’ that temperature records for the month of June will be broken this week.
In June 1957, Camden Square was recorded as being a blistering 35.6C. The same temperature was then recorded in Southampton nearly 20 years later in 1976.
Highs of 38C have been forecast for Wednesday and Thursday by the Met Office
Tom Crabtree, deputy chief forecaster at the Met Office, said: ‘The forecast heatwave is developing into an impactful severe weather event, with record-breaking June temperatures and very high humidity.
‘The combination of heat and humidity will be oppressive and bring impacts across society from public health and infrastructure, to power and water supplies.
‘As well as very high daytime temperatures, there will be consecutive nights where temperatures do not drop below 20C, which is called a tropical night.
‘This will make it very hard for people to recover from the daytime heat, exacerbating the heat stress impacts.’
Amber extreme heat warnings have been extended by the Met Office from Monday and Tuesday to include Wednesday and Thursday, covering much of southern England and Wales, the East and West Midlands, the South West and South East England, as well as the East of England.
The new alerts, issued on Sunday, have raised concerns about the potential health impacts for people vulnerable to extreme heat and heat-related issues for the wider population, as well as a possible increase in water safety incidents.
People in the alert area are advised to drink plenty of fluids and keep out of the sun, and avoid exercising between 11am and 3pm, the weather service said.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: ‘It’s a very unusual, very rare spell of very hot weather, so it’s one of those ones where people should take care, try to keep their houses as cool as possible, check in on those that are vulnerable, so the very young and very old, in particular, are more vulnerable to extreme heat.
Tourists queued to cool off using a public drinking fountain outside the Colosseum in Rome, Italy
Parasols at the ready on a hot day four of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 19
‘But everybody will feel this because it will be very hot and the overnight temperatures, in particular, will mean that people won’t be getting as much sleep, probably, as they would usually do, so it will affect everyone.
‘There’s also potential for impacts to transport as well. We know that when things get very warm, there can sometimes be issues with railway lines, and even possibility that some roads might not be doing too well.
‘If it gets too warm, you may even see a little bit of tarmac melting at times.’
The hottest temperatures are expected in areas between Bristol and London and south of the M4, with most of England and Wales set to hit more than 30C this week, he said.
The heat comes after at least 15 people died after getting into trouble in open water during a hot spell in May.
Mr Partridge said: ‘We’re also asking as well for everybody to just be very wary around bodies of water, because in the last heatwave, unfortunately, quite a few people lost their lives by going into cold water and getting cold water shock.
‘That’s still very much an issue, so just be careful how you cool yourself down.
‘If there’s the option between a hose pipe and jumping in the lake, probably go for the hose pipe and just keep yourself safer.’
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has released a separate heat health alert amid the soaring temperatures, which includes most of England from Monday morning until Friday night.
A UKHSA yellow heat alert is also in place for North East England during the same period.
The organisation warned people to expect significant impacts across health and social care services along with a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions.
The extreme heat could also bring disruptions to rail, road and air travel, with the possibility of some tarmac melting, according to the Met Office.
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Last summer was the hottest on record for the UK, with a mean temperature of 16.1C between the start of June and the end of August, forecasters say.
The previous record was held by summer 2018, followed by 2006, 2003, 2022 and 1976.
Asked how climate change is impacting the current conditions, Mr Partridge said very hot spells are becoming more frequent.
‘This is the second heatwave of this year already so it just shows that the warming climate means that these more extreme spells are becoming more frequent, and that’s unfortunately just the way things are going at the moment and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down,’ he added.
People take a sunbath at the beach in Marseille as the heatwave sweeps across southeastern France on June 20
Children are spotted cooling off in a fountain in Munich as temperatures across Germany climbed to 38C in some areas
The scorching temperatures will coincide with rising pollen levels across the country next week, with the Met Office predicting ‘very high’ counts from Sunday.
Pollen levels in London, southern England, the West Midlands, East Midlands, the North West and Wales will remain at the highest level from Sunday to Thursday, while a ‘high’ warning is in place for Yorkshire and the North East for most of next week.
In Britain, one in four adults and one in eight children suffer from hay fever – also known as allergic rhinitis – according to Allergy UK, with the symptoms often worsening during the hot summer months.
On Sunday, NHS England confirmed visits to their website for hay fever advice has doubled amid the scorching temperatures, citing sneezing, coughing, a runny nose, as well as red, itchy, or watery eyes as among the most common symptoms.
The service said they recorded 12,990 visits to their NHS hay fever page from June 14 to 17 – when temperatures began to escalate – compared to 5,632 visits the previous week, totalling a rise of 131 per cent.
Duncan Burton, chief nursing officer for England, said the warm weather can increase pollen levels that might cause ‘discomfort for hay fever sufferers’.
Mr Burton said: ‘Most people will be able to manage their symptoms with medication that is available off the shelf from pharmacies and supermarkets, and the NHS website has more advice on how to deal with the discomfort.’
However, he warned: ‘People should be careful not to double dose on medication which might make them drowsy particularly if planning to drive.’
And as the heatwave takes over Britain, many hay fever sufferers have gone to social media to document how uncomfortable their symptoms can be during the hot weather.
Amid the rising temperatures, the Met Office has recommended that hay fever sufferers ‘plan ahead and take a few simple precautions’ on days that pollen levels are predicted to be particularly high.
The agency advices hay fever sufferers to treat early symptoms using antihistamines to prevent a full flare-up, and to use corticosteroid nasal sprays to help itchy red eyes, a runny nose, swollen sinuses and sneezing.
It also suggests taking practical steps to minimise exposure, such as removing outdoor clothing and showering or washing your hair after high pollen exposure, keeping windows shut at night and avoiding having flowers in your home.
Yet it is not only Britain that has been struck by the scorching heatwave – with temperatures on mainland Europe reaching over 40C.
On Saturday, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu called a crisis meeting with 14 of his ministers amid the rising heat, as orange heat warnings became active in 60 of the country’s departments.
Meteo France, the country’s national weather agency, warned the escalating weather conditions would persist into next week – and described the heat as comparable to the 2019 heatwave that saw temperatures in excess of 45C.
Forecasters have predicted that temperatures of 39 to 40C will stretch from the southwest of France, climbing through Paris and into Burgundy – with some areas possibly reaching a scorching 41C.
It is not only Britain that has been struck by the scorching heatwave – with temperatures in Europe reaching over 40C
The scorching temperatures coincide with rising pollen levels across the country next week
Temperatures are expected to reach their peak on Monday, potentially hitting record highs.
Following Saturday’s meeting, Prime Minister Lecornu has also pre-emptively banned alcohol at the annual Fete de la Musique festivals and other public events in 35 regions on Sunday.
Authorities in Paris ordered parks to remain open around the clock, however.
In Germany, similar sweltering conditions have been reported by Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), the country’s official weather service.
Near-nationwide heat alerts have been issued as temperatures were recorded approaching 38C in some areas.
The DWD weather service has also cautioned that a combination of the rising heat and humidity could trigger severe thunderstorms across the nation.
In Italy, temperatures reaching 36 to 37C have left tourists and residents across major cities sweltering in the sun.
Outside Rome’s Colosseum, visitors were made to queue for entry in the blazing sun, with some seeking respite in the cooler underground areas beneath the half-hidden remains of the Temple of Claudius.
Others were spotted cooling off using water from a public drinking fountain outside the ancient site.
Further north in Bologna – one of the hottest cities in the peninsula – people were photographed splashing water onto their faces to dull the heat at the central 16th-century Fountain of Neptune.
Tourists were also captured sheltering in the shade of nearby porticoes.
A woman was spotted shading her head with her fan at the Jeronimos Monastery in Belem, during the heatwave in Lisbon
People in the alert area are advised to drink plenty of fluids and keep out of the sun, and avoid exercising between 11am and 3pm. Pictured: Swimmers at a London lido
The ongoing heatwave has also hit Spain with full force, with red and orange weather alerts in place for Monday and Tuesday – predicted to be the hottest days.
On Tuesday, temperatures reaching 37C to 39C are expected throughout the interior of the Iberian Peninsula and the Balearic Islands, according to Spanish Met Office AEMET.
Across the Tagus, Guadiana, and Guadalquivir valleys, temperatures will swell to a torrid 40 to 42C.
A similar story can be found in neighbouring Portugal, as the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) predict the country’s hottest temperatures to come on Tuesday and Wednesday at a whopping 42C.
