A heat warning across large parts of England for the weekend has been upgraded from yellow to amber amid concerns of high temperatures putting lives in danger.
The new Heat Health Alerts (HHA) system designed by the Reach Office and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has been utilised for the first time with warnings in place for most of the south of England.
On Thursday, the UKHSA said it was upgrading its heat health alert in the West Midlands, East of England, East Midlands, South East and South West from yellow to amber. London remains yellow.
An amber warning means local authorities and the health service should set up a response for weather likely to have health impacts across the whole population.
Yellow means some response should be triggered and will be issued when periods of heat or cold could have some impact on a vulnerable person’s health, even if it is unlikely.
The UKHSA issued a yellow alert for the North East, North West, Yorkshire, and Humber regions.
All alerts are in place between 9 am on Friday and 9 am on Monday, June 12.
Temperatures are predicted to rise to between 25 and 30 degrees across much of the south of England on Friday.
The warnings coincide with a Met Office yellow warning for thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon, covering an area that covers all of Wales, Manchester and down to London.
The warning, which is in place from 2 pm to 9 pm, states: “Whilst many places will be largely dry, thunderstorms with heavy rain and hail are likely to develop in some places on Saturday afternoon.”
A yellow health alert has been issued in Surrey as temperatures are expected to hit highs of 27C in some parts, posing health risks for the elderly and vulnerable. This is the first health risk of the year from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and is in place from 9 am on Friday (June 9) to 9 am on Monday (June 12).
The Heat Health Alert warning is set at yellow, which means vulnerable people’s health is more likely to be at risk as temperatures rise. Surrey will be hotter than Istanbul and the French Riviera this weekend with the spike in temperatures caused by warm weather rising across from the Azores, where it will reach peak temperatures on the weekend, reports the Met Office.
Thundery showers have also been forecast across Surrey, as the hot weather coupled with rain could brew rumbling storm clouds. Dan Harris, the deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Temperatures will rise later this week and into the weekend, with a plume of warm air being drawn in from the south. Temperatures over the weekend could peak around 30C in some parts of England and remain well above average overnight through the weekend.
“Coupled with the rise in temperatures is an increase in the likelihood of some potentially heavy and thundery showers, which could bring some localised disruption for some from late on Friday and into the weekend, though it is not possible to be definitive about exact details this far from the potential event.”
In response to things hotting up in the county, it is warned that “minor impacts” might be felt across the health and social sector, with increased risk of mortality due to the heat. Those who are elderly over 65 and have pre-existing health conditions and disabilities will need extra care, and people are being asked to check up this weekend on those they know to be vulnerable.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, said: “In the coming days, we are likely to experience our first sustained period of hot weather of the year so far, so it’s vital that everyone ensures they keep hydrated and calm while enjoying the sun.
“Forecasted temperatures this week will primarily impact those over 65 or those with pre-existing health conditions such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
A warning to people over upcoming high temperatures has been escalated from ‘yellow’ to ‘amber’ in five regions. On Wednesday, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office issued a heat-health alert with temperatures as high as 30C expected at the weekend.
On Thursday, the warning was upped to amber in the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, the south-east and the south-west.
A spokesperson for the UKHSA said: “The decision to move to an amber alert has been made due to the latest Met Office forecasts, which indicate there is a high likelihood that forecasted temperatures will be reached rapidly over the weekend in these regions, while we are also likely to see high overnight temperatures. An amber alert indicates that weather impacts are probable to be felt across the whole health help, and at this level, we may begin to see some health bang across the wider population, not just the most vulnerable.”
Further yellow alerts were also issued on Thursday, with the northeast, northwest and Yorkshire and Humber regions now affected. London remains at the yellow level, with both warnings in place from 9 am on Friday to 9 am on Monday. The Met Office has also supplied a yellow warning for
