UK weather: Met Office issues first extreme heat warning

Experts say prolonged heatwaves are likely to become more frequent as result of climate change

The Met Office has issued its first ever extreme heat warning for parts of the UK, with forecasters “most concerned” about areas of southwest England and Wales as scorching temperatures continue across the country this week.

The southwest, southern Wales and parts of the Midlands are all under an amber warning for “extreme heat” from Monday afternoon until the end of Thursday.

It is the first time the Met Office has issued this type of warning, which was launched last month, and meteorologists have warned that the climate emergency is likely to make such events more common.

Follow live: Temperatures set to soar into 30s

Mark Wilson from the Met Office told The Independent that large parts of Wales, central and southern England were “most likely to be impacted by extreme heat” in the coming days.

He added that while the warning covers the areas that forecasters are most concerned about, other areas could still see warm temperatures.

It came after tens of thousands of people headed to beaches over the weekend, with roads busy on coastal routes, and as crowds flocked to Bournemouth beach on Monday where sun-seekers were pictured enjoying the sea and relaxing on the sand.

Although the Met Office acknowledged on Monday that many would enjoy the sunny weather, the service warned that the high temperatures could lead to “public health impacts”.

“Adverse health effects are likely to be experienced by those vulnerable to extreme heat,” the forecaster said in its amber warning.

They added that the wider population could also suffer sunburn or heat exhaustion during the warm weather.

It said that there may need to be some changes to working practices, and that delays to public transport are also possible, which could lead to welfare issues for people experiencing prolonged delays.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils in England, has also warned people to think carefully before travelling to beaches, parks and other public places, as there is often increased traffic near coastal areas during hot weather.

Meanwhile, experts have said that the increased frequency and severity of heatwaves in the UK is an effect of the climate emergency, with hot spells lasting longer than they used to.

“Heatwaves are one of the weather extremes that are most easily linked to the climate change which is already affecting us here in the UK,” said Dr Rob Thompson, a meteorologist at the University of Reading.

He added: “We can expect that extreme summer heatwaves of the type that can kill people in the UK will become a regular occurrence, hitting us on average every other summer by the middle of the century, under current trends of increasing emissions and warming.”

Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Worcester in the Midlands are all covered by the new amber warning, which also stretches across the southwest coast until Portsmouth, and up through Bristol and south Wales.

Temperatures are expected to reach 33C in some western areas later this week, with the heatwave likely to continue through to the beginning of the weekend.