The first heat-health alert has been issued and applies to six regions of England.
The UK’s Met Office and the UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) launched the new heat-health alerting (HHA) service last week to focus more specifically on the health impacts that high temperatures could have on the health of the population.
The six regions included in the first-ever heat-health alert are as follows:
- London;
- East Midlands;
- West Midlands;
- East of England;
- South East;
- South West.
These regions will be under a status yellow heat-health alert from 9:00a.m on Friday (June 9) until Monday (June 12).
The UKHSA and the Met Office have said that a yellow alert covers a range of situations and will be issued during periods of heat/cold which would be unlikely to impact most people but could impact those who are particularly vulnerable.
The partnership warned that, if current forecasted temperatures are reached, it is likely that there could be “some impacts across the health and social care sector”.
The Met Office has forecasted temperatures as high as 30° during the course of the status yellow heat-health alert.
According to the national weather forecaster predictions, Saturday (June 10) will see the warmest temperatures.
Hot weather
Head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, Dr. Agostinho Sousa, said England is likely to experience its “first sustained period of hot weather of the year so far” over the coming days.
Deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Harris, 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 30° 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, Harris warned.
These could bring some “localised disruption” for some from late on Friday and into the weekend, he said.
