Yellow heat health alerts issued as UK braces for bank holiday heatwave

Heat health alerts are to come into force across parts of the UK on Friday as the country braces for a heatwave over the bank holiday weekend.Temperatures are expected to soar as high as 30C in London, which is hotter than holiday destinations including Mykonos, Santorini, and Ibiza.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow warnings across London, the South East, the East and the Midlands starting from 9am.The UKHSA has issued five yellow heat alerts (UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA))The warnings mean there is likely to be a minor impact on health and social services, and a “greater risk to life of vulnerable people”, according to the UKHSA.Temperatures are set to climb to as high as 28C across the rest of the UK on Friday, with the warm weather continuing into the bank holiday weekend.The Met Office’s Tom Morgan has indicated a 40 per cent chance that southern England could see temperatures climb to 33C on Sunday.This could overtake the current May record of 32.8C, which was set in Camden Square, London, back in 1922.Temperatures are expected to exceed heatwave thresholds - defined as three consecutive days at or above a set temperature - in parts of the UK from Sunday. A heatwave is most likely to be declared in south-eastern England, forecasters said.Met Office deputy chief forecaster, Steve Kocher, said: “Temperatures will climb through the weekend, especially in the south, where 30C is likely to be recorded on Saturday and 32C on Sunday. Temperatures are forecast to peak on Monday when we could see 33C recorded in southern England and the Midlands.”“It is likely that the May and Spring UK temperature records will be broken over the Bank Holiday weekend, with forecast temperatures surpassing the existing record of 32.8C. “As well as it being hot, there will be lots of dry and sunny weather for much of the UK. There will however be more cloud and some showers in Northern Ireland and western Scotland through the weekend. With relatively low sea surface temperatures there is also likely to be some low cloud and sea fog clinging closely to western coasts.”Along with the UKHSA alerts, the Met Office is urging people to be careful in coastal areas as many are expected to flood to the country’s beaches to soak up the sun.This is a breaking story, more to follow...