New heat warning issued for large parts of the UK in days

Health officials have issued a warning for hot weather in parts of the UK, saying high temperatures over the coming days could cause a greater risk to life for vulnerable people.

The yellow heat health alert covers the East Midlands, east, south-east and south-west England, including London, from 12 pm on Saturday until 5 pm on Wednesday.

The UKHSA said that within the warning area, minor impacts were likely across health and social care services because of the high temperatures, including increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people and a greater risk to life for the same group.

It also warned of a potential increase in water-related incidents, including risks from cold water shock and drowning.

Temperatures in London will reach 31°C by Monday, steadily increasing throughout the weekend with lows between 15°C and 20°C.

The new alert comes after a sweltering heatwave last week, during which the Met Office issued a rare red warning for extreme heat for parts of the country, and the UKHSA put red heat health alerts in place.

The UK set a provisional June temperature record of 37.7°C on Friday in Lingwood in Norfolk, according to the Met Office.

It beats the previous June record for the UK of 35.6°C, dating back to 1976, by more than 2°C.

Such records have usually been broken by only a fraction of a degree in the past. Last month was England’s warmest June on record, while the UK as a whole and Wales recorded their second warmest June, the Met Office said.

The records date back to 1884. In England, a provisional mean temperature of 17.1°C was recorded for the month, surpassing the previous record set in 2025 and nearly 3°C above the long-term average.

The forecaster said ‘exceptionally warm overnight temperatures’ during the latest heatwave helped to ‘drive the highest average minimum temperatures on record for the UK, England and Wales’.

For the UK, June 2026 provisionally ranks as the second-warmest June on record, behind only June 2023.

Wales recorded its second warmest, while Scotland and Northern Ireland both saw their joint fourth warmest June since 1884.

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