The level three, amber heat health watch warning, issued yesterday, acts as an alert to health providers that extreme temperatures are on the way, which may affect the well-being of people in the UK.
The warning which began at 9am yesterday ends at 9am on Friday in the Midlands, south-east England and east England. It means there is a 90% probability that temperatures will hit 30C (86F) during the day and 15C at night for at least two days during that period.
A Met Office spokeswoman said: “Away from northern England, dry and sunny weather should dominate through the week, but interspersed with heavy showers in afternoon and evening periods.
“Temperatures will be very warm or hot; very hot in the east. Thresholds could be breached in places with very warm and muggy overnight conditions.”
The average daily maximum temperature from June 1 to July 16 was 20.9C, much higher than expected at this time of year, prompting the Met Office to predict this summer (June 1 to August 31) could be record-breaking. Even if temperatures for the rest of July and August are average it will still be one of the 10 hottest summers on record.
The Met Office advice for this week states: “Stay out of the sun. Keep your home as cool as possible – shading windows and shutting them during the day may help. Open them when it is cooler at night. Keep drinking fluids. If there’s anybody you know, for example an older person living on their own, who might be at special risk, make sure they know what to do.”
The highest daily maximum average for an entire summer (June, July and August) was 21C in 1976, when there were standpipes in the street. This summer a hosepipe ban was introduced in Northern Ireland, although it has since been lifted, and another one is due to come into effect in north-west England on August 5.