Ultra-rare amber heatwave alert issued for all of England as UK braces for fatal scorcher.uk
The health agency said a rise in deaths among vulnerable groups is “likely”.
An amber health alert for heat will come into place across all of England in less than two hours. The UK Health Security agency has issued the alert for all of England, and said a rise in deaths among vulnerable groups is “likely”.
The rare heat alert will remain in place for four days, from 12pm today, June 19, until 9am on Monday, June 23. It has been issued for the North East, North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East and South West.
The amber alert covers nearly all of the UK (Image: UKHSA)
The UKHSA said the prolonged period of hot weather could lead to “a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions”, and “there may also be impacts on younger age groups.”
It also warned there will likely be an increased demand on all health and social care services, and that internal temperatures in care settings may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment.
Vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings are also at higher risk due to rising indoor temperatures.
The heat may also impact the workforce’s ability to deliver services, and there could be staffing issues, because of the likelihood that it could impact things such as transport.
The UKHSA added there may be increased demand for power, which could exceed capacity, and there may be “issues managing medicines”.
According to the Met Office, the UK will soar to 34C in London on Saturday, June 21, and in Manchester, it will rise to highs of 31C on Friday, June 20.
Temperatures will remain around 30C for the entire weekend, and they are expected to mellow out as we enter the following week.
According to weather maps by WXCharts, temperatures will rise once again in a couple of weeks to a scorching 38C on Monday, June 30.
Yesterday Met Office scientists predicted the UK’s chance of reaching 40C is “accelerating at pace”, and that there is a “rapidly increasing chance of record UK summer temperatures”, in a study published in Weather journal.
