Remember last month when the country was essentially melting? Well, that’s about to happen again, just to a lesser extent.
While temperatures aren’t likely to hit record levels at 40°C again, an amber heat warning has been issued by the Met Office for this week. London could hit 36°C by the end of the week, and the health warning has been set from today (August 9) at midday until Saturday (August 13) at 6pm.
While the level three alert isn’t quite as drastic as the measures recommended in last month’s heat warning, the Met Office still advise the public to take necessary precautions in the heat. The heatwave, however, is expected to last a little longer than in July.
Dan Rudman, Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologis, said: “Thanks to persistent high pressure over the UK, temperatures will be rising day-on-day through this week and an Extreme heat warning has been issued.
“Temperatures are expected to peak at 35C on Friday and Saturday, or even an isolated 36C on Saturday. Elsewhere will see temperatures widely into the high 20s and low 30s Celsius. Coupled with the high daytime temperatures there will be some warm nights, with temperatures expected not to drop below the low 20s Celsius for some areas in the south.”
Health and social services will also be called upon to “target specific actions at high-risk groups”.
The Met Office advises the public to keep cool and hydrated and taking steps to prevent their homes from overheating, such as closing the blinds to quell the effects of sunlight through windows. Further tips on keeping cool can be found on the Met Office site.
As a result of London enduring the driest July on record since 1935, the London Fire Brigade has also advised against having barbecues in the park or balconies, and has warned people not to throw cigarette butts out of car windows.
It may not reach the sweltering highs of the last heatwave, but it’s lasting longer and could get close to those levels; so remember to keep cool and carry those water bottles around with you this week!