Amber heat health alerts issued for London as temperatures to hit mid-30Cs again

The Met Office has issued amber heat health alerts for London as the summer’s fifth heatwave hits

Amber heat health alerts have been issued for London this week, as the nation braces itself for another summer heatwave. The majority of England has been placed under alert, with temperatures predicted to climb into the mid-30Cs once more this week.

This development arrives as additional regions of England appear increasingly likely to enter drought conditions as the UK’s extreme summer persists.

Amber heat health alerts have been declared for the East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, North West, South East, South West, and West Midlands, while a yellow heat health alert has been announced for the North East, running from Tuesday August 11 at 9am through to Friday August 14 at 9pm.

The Met Office indicated it anticipates temperatures to rise into the mid-30Cs later this week, following a comparatively cooler Monday, with the heat reaching its peak on Thursday. An 18 year old tragically lost their life after encountering difficulties in the sea at Camber Sands beach, East Sussex on Sunday, taking the total number of fatalities in open-water incidents throughout the hot, dry summer to over 40, based on Press Association estimates.

Although this weekend may bring rainfall, including across southern areas – some of which have experienced weeks without precipitation – it will not compensate for the deficit accumulated in recent weeks and months, forecasters caution. The National Drought Group, comprising government and agency officials, water companies and farming leaders, is convening again on Monday, with further areas of England anticipated to be declared in drought.

Half of England and the entirety of Wales are already experiencing drought conditions, with 23 million customers subject to hosepipe restrictions as rivers and reservoirs reach critically low levels, while farmers caution of a “brutal harvest” for crops and insufficient feed for livestock. Significant wildfires have struck locations including the Pennines, Scotland’s Cairngorms, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, with firefighters battling hundreds of blazes.

This summer’s exceptionally arid conditions have been compounded by successive heatwaves, including unprecedented temperatures for the season in May and June which resulted in over 2,800 excess deaths. Britain is increasingly contending with the consequences of more severe weather phenomena such as drought, heatwaves and wildfires, driven by climate change predominantly caused by burning fossil fuels in power stations, vehicles, domestic heating and industrial processes.

Regions across the UK are now confronting their fifth heatwave of the summer – though certain areas such as Exeter have experienced temperatures consistently exceeding regional heatwave thresholds between temperature surges.

However, the Met Office indicated it did not expect to issue amber or red warnings for hazardous heat, as conditions would remain dry rather than humid – which elevates health risks – unlike late June when an exceptional red alert was triggered.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge stated that, following cooler conditions on Monday, “the heat really comes back in for a time, and will peak on Thursday.

“We’re expecting values to be in the mid 30Cs, and possibly highest in the East.”

The scorching temperatures will contribute to 2026’s already unprecedented tally of days reaching 35C or above. While the heatwave will be brief, it will affect widespread areas, with elevated temperatures extending as far north as Scotland – which has recently experienced substantial rainfall.

The intense heat will diminish rapidly as the weekend approaches, with low pressure potentially delivering rainfall to southern regions, Mr Madge explained, though he cautioned it would be insufficient to “make a dent” in the accumulated deficit.

“It will be welcome for gardeners and for others, but we’re not going to get a lot of rain and not enough to make up for the shortfall we’ve had over the summer.”

Provisional data has revealed that England and Wales experienced their most arid July since records commenced in 1836, with 19 English counties registering no precipitation whatsoever throughout the entire month. Met Office figures demonstrate that Southern England recorded its warmest July on record, while Wales experienced its joint warmest July, and both the UK and England recorded their second warmest July.

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