Met Office: UK Heatwave to Hit Record 38C This Week
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Met Office expanded its extreme heat warning, forecasting highs of 38C (100.4F) from Monday through Thursday and placing a 25% chance on temperatures exceeding 40C, which would surpass the June record of 35.6C set in Southampton (1976) and Camden Square, London (1957).
- Becky Mitchell, a Met Office meteorologist, said the UK could see three consecutive days above 37C for the first time in June, with widespread "tropical nights" above 20C across southern England that could also break the June overnight minimum record.
- UKHSA issued yellow and amber heat health alerts; the Met Office warning covers southern England, central and eastern Wales, and the Midlands on Monday-Tuesday, then extends Wednesday-Thursday to Greater Manchester, Yorkshire, and Cheshire, with highs of 33C lingering Friday in eastern areas.
- Tom Crabtree, Met Office deputy chief forecaster, said the heatwave is "developing into an impactful severe weather event," combining record heat with very high humidity to threaten public health, infrastructure, and power and water supplies.
- Dr. Mehri Khosravi of the University of East London's Sustainability Research Institute said age is "the strongest factor" in heat vulnerability, noting that older people's lower risk perception and UK buildings not designed for extreme heat compound the danger.
- AccuWeather's Dan Pydynowski warned of a mosquito surge across southern England away from coastal areas, with peak insect activity at dawn and dusk.
- Caroline Abrahams of Age UK called the forecast "unprecedented in its intensity" and urged extra caution for older people with cardiovascular or kidney problems, whose bodies "adjust with difficulty to extremes of heat or cold."
Why it matters: The Met Office is giving a 25% chance of UK temperatures exceeding 40C and a realistic shot at three consecutive June days above 37C — both thresholds never recorded in June — while UKHSA health alerts and cited experts flag elderly and low-income populations as most exposed in buildings never designed for this level of heat.
Ask SkimNews
