The Met Office has issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday as extreme heat and humidity are set to grip parts of England and Wales. Temperatures are forecast to exceed 37°C in the shade, with the potential to reach 38°C to 40°C in some areas.
Impacts on Health and Daily Life
The hot conditions, accompanied by high humidity, will bring widespread impacts on health and significant disruption to daily life, the Met Office warned. Very warm and humid nights will make it difficult for people to recover overnight. The red warning covers an area from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham, in effect from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday.
Forecasters say the conditions pose a risk to life and population-wide health impacts, no longer limited to the most vulnerable. Substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required. There is also a high risk of failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment, potentially leading to loss of power, water, gas, or mobile phone services.
Travel Disruptions and Water Safety
Significantly more people are expected to visit coastal areas, lakes, and rivers, increasing the risk of water safety incidents. Travel disruptions are anticipated, including road delays and closures, as well as rail and air travel delays and cancellations, which could cause welfare issues for those experiencing even moderate delays.
Dr Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “We are forecasting extreme temperatures in the next few days, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday, when it looks like we’ll be seeing maximum temperatures into the high 30s. But also we are stressing very high overnight temperatures which will be very uncomfortable for vulnerable groups, and very humid conditions as well.”
Comparison to Previous Heatwaves
Dr Lang told the Press Association that the conditions would far exceed the heat seen in June in the past and were “a much bigger scale” than the heatwave the UK experienced at the end of May. He also noted that the extreme heat would be of greater longevity than the record heatwave in 2022, when temperatures briefly climbed above 40°C for the first time ever in the UK.
He said: “We’ve got several days into the mid to high 30s, and humidity is a lot higher, so it could be a lot more impactful, including for the general population, so we’re asking everyone to consider their behaviours and travel and how to keep cool in the high temperatures. These heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more severe due to the changing climate.”
Scientific Explanation
Scientists attribute the heatwave to a “heat dome” similar to last month’s event, involving a high-pressure weather system stalling over a region and trapping heat. Akshay Deoras, senior research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science at the University of Reading, said: “This is not just a heatwave, it is a heat-dome driven furnace that will grip most of southern UK and push temperatures into truly exceptional territory.” He added that human-driven climate change “has provided the springboard for this event” after loading the atmosphere with extra heat.
Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, warned that temperatures of more than 43°C are now possible in the UK’s current climate, with heatwaves lasting for multiple days. He said the country’s health services, energy infrastructure, and transport are “simply not built for these conditions,” and warned of potential widespread power cuts, transport chaos, and overwhelmed A&E departments.
Record Temperatures Possible
Chloe Brimicombe, climate scientist and heatwave researcher at the University of Oxford, said: “It is possible that for a second month in a row record temperatures could be broken – which is quite alarming.” She emphasized the need for solutions to build resilience, including prioritizing cooling from heat pumps for the most vulnerable and designing heat-safe policies with organizations and employees.
Gareth Redmond-King, head of international at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, noted that the heatwave “hits in the week Parliament is set to debate and vote on the UK’s plans to get to net zero – which remains the only scientifically available solution to halting climate change, and limiting these dangerous and costly extremes into the future. Let’s be clear, temperatures will continue to go up and up until we reach net zero emissions.”
