Parts of Britain are facing their hottest June week on record as the heatwave over western mainland Europe continues. The Met Office has issued two Extreme Heat warnings running from Monday into Tuesday but then expanding in area for Wednesday 24th into Thursday. (Update 10:30am Red Heat warning issued for Wednesday/Thursday)
Temperatures could reach 38C which would smash the existing UK June record of 35.6C from 1976. The all-time UK record high temperature is 40.3C from July 2022
“Hot and humid weather is expected to continue through the middle of the week, with exceptionally warm temperatures both day and night.” Met Office
On Monday there is also a risk of thunderstorms, see the Netweather Convective forecast
Heatwave
This is developing into a period of extreme weather, which may not affect some people adversely but there is a real risk of heat stress illnesses as the heat and humidity continue by day, and nights remain very warm. Without the opportunity for our bodies to cool down overnight and recover, this creates extra strain.
France, Germany, NE Spain, Luxembourg and Switzerland all have severe red weather warnings for heatwave conditions, with numerous amber and yellow warnings across Europe. You may think that it is already hot enough, but we will tap into this intense heat from France in the next few days.
It has been widely over 36C in France with monthly records falling 42.2°C in Chateaumeillant and 41.5°C in Melle but also local all-time records. Temperatures will go even higher. Luxembourg saw a new June record with 37.0 at Reckange, with many local records across Europe falling for June.
“Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are likely, even with limited exposure or during light physical activity.” MeteoLux
Starlings Roost Weather- qualifying days meeting the regional Heatwave thresholds
UK
Only Writtle in Essex is in official heatwave as the weekend ended, and we passed the summer solstice. By the coasts, it has been a wonderful weekend of sunshine, sand, sea and icecreams and hopefully a pleasant breeze. Inland, the heat is just going to build with humidity that will make it more uncomfortable.
One of the worrying impacts is that “significantly more people are likely to visit coastal areas, lakes and rivers, leading to risk of water safety incidents.” This would require more emergency responses when the recent Heat-Health alerts have shown that our health and social care teams will be under pressure anyway, as the hot weather continues.
There are warnings for people on medication in this hot weather. That many commonly-prescribed “anti” medications, such as anti-depressants, some anti-histamines, and anti-psychotics, can increase the risk of heat-related illness, or may need storing carefully to make sure that they still work properly. These mediations can impact your body's ability to regulate heat as well.
Children have a lower thirst response to dehydration and don’t sweat as adults do. It’s not quite summer holidays yet, the last week for many schools in Scotland, Northern Ireland has a week and a half left. Young children especially need to be kept an eye on and the worry about cold water shock continues as young people cool off in the heat. For older people, their cardiovascular systems are less able to respond and react to the strain from extreme heat, to be able to cool down. Those with heart problems or diabetes should also take extra care.
Anyone can be overcome by the heat, especially after a bad night's sleep, or if travelling or commuting with work constraints.
This is not the week to work on your tan, and remember the UV advice anyway. Usual exercise routines will need revising. The World Cup football matches are well into the evening due to the North American hosting but the official advice is “avoid drinking too much alcohol”. Adding extreme heat to too much alcohol is a bad combination. And look out for animals and pets, the pavements can get very hot for dogs and walking times should be adjusted.
Wear light coloured and loose clothing, try to avoid man-made fabrics like polyester. Avoiding the sun between 11am and 3pm and closing the curtains really helps shelter rooms from the worst of the direct heat. Drink more water, eat cold foods, yes, have an ice cream and carry a portable mini-fan if you are on public transport this week.
Watch for dehydration, heat exhaustion and more seriously, heat stroke. It’s worth knowing the symptoms, not just for yourself but to spot them in others if they start to act a bit odd.
“Heat exhaustion does not usually need emergency medical help if you can cool down within 30 minutes. If it turns into heatstroke, it needs to be treated as an emergency.”
We have got a week of this, and it surges northwards on Thursday with 28C (possibly higher) for Glasgow, 27C for Belfast. There will be showery rain in the far northwest by Friday, with heavy and thundery downpours.
This heatwave event does look to be over by Sunday, when a westerly flow from the Atlantic looks to properly set in. Between Friday and Sunday, there is uncertainty about how the heat will fade away, taking the longest for SE Britain.
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