Temperatures reached as high as 32.2C in London on Thursday
The UK is expected to surpass yesterday’s record high temperatures with 33C forecast for parts of the country today.
Yesterday, a temperature of 32.2C was recorded in Kew, west London – marking the warmest day of the year so far.
According to the Met Office, that record is on course to be broken later today.
The UK’s national weather service suggests that, by Friday afternoon, a number of areas are expected to have passed the heatwave criteria – potentially peaking at 33C.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued an amber heat-health alert for all regions in England on Thursday morning.
The alert will remain in force until 9am on Monday.
It warns that “significant impacts are likely” across health and social care services because of high temperatures, including a rise in deaths – particularly among those aged 65 and over or people with health conditions.
Some reports suggest 34C could be reached on Saturday, which would still fall just below the June record of 35.6C in 1976.
However, the public is being warned that the heat and sunshine could swiftly be replaced by ‘intense thunderstorms’ over the course of the weekend.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Dan Holley, said: “While Saturday will be a dry and fine day for many, a few showers or thunderstorms will be possible across northern and western parts of the UK, with an increasing risk of some intense thunderstorms developing across portions of north Wales, northern England and southern Scotland later in the afternoon and into the evening hours, which could bring heavy downpours, frequent lightning, gusty winds and possibly large hail.
“The nights will also be quite warm, with the possibility of temperatures not falling below 20°C in some areas, making it hard to sleep. This is what we term a ‘tropical night’.
“Temperatures will ease from the west on Sunday as fresher air arrives from the Atlantic, although parts of East Anglia and the far southeast of England could still see 28-29°C for a time.”
A warning has been issued as firefighters have responded to more than 500 wildfires across England and Wales this year so far.
The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) is urging caution among members of the public when enjoying the outdoors in a bid to prevent further spikes in incidents.