An amber warning for extreme heat has been issued for parts of England and Wales as the UK braces for another heatwave.
The Met Office has issued the warning for four days from Thursday to Sunday, saying “adverse health effects” are likely to be experienced by some vulnerable people.
Health alerts were announced for England over the weekend, with a level 3 alert for southern and central England and a level 2 for the north to be in place from 12pm on Tuesday until 6pm Saturday.
Level 4 – a red warning – is the most serious designation.
Find out the five-day forecast where you live
The Met Office says temperatures are likely to rise into the low to mid-30s in central and southern parts of the UK on Friday and Saturday – but will not be as extreme as the record-breaking heat in July which saw the mercury climb above 40C.
Outside the hottest areas, much of England and Wales and south-east Scotland could see temperatures widely in the high 20s, with a chance of a few spots seeing temperatures into the low 30s, the Met Office said.
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Scotland and Northern Ireland will also see temperatures in the high 20s and could reach official heatwave criteria by Friday, the forecasters said.
Warming conditions in the UK have prompted The Met Office to raise the temperatures that have to be reached for an official heatwave for eight English counties.
With the latest heatwave coming after months of low rain, which have left the countryside and urban parks and gardens tinder-dry, households in some areas are being urged not to light fires or have barbecues.
The Met Office’s fire severity index (FSI), an assessment of how severe a fire could become if one were to start, is very high for most of England and Wales, and will reach “exceptional” for a swathe of England by the weekend.
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What uses most water in our homes, where does our water come from and what happens during a drought?
Scientists claim the likelihood of droughts occurring is becoming higher due to climate change, driven by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels and other human activities.
Dr Leslie Mabon, lecturer in environmental systems at The Open University, said: “Above all else, the drought risk we are seeing in the UK is a reminder that we urgently need to tackle the problem at source: this means reducing emissions from fossil fuels to limit the extent of harmful climate change we will face.
