Moment dolphin leaps out of the water to give amazed kayakers a surprise – as UK braces for its FIFTH heatwave this year

A dolphin leaped out of the sea to the delight of Dorset kayakers as the UK prepared for its fifth heatwave of the year.

Paddlers off the coast of Weymouth, Dorset, were surprised by the sight of the dolphin, which emerged from the water and rose 4ft into the air.

Captured by Mark Flanders, who was on the Sea Kayak Dorset outing, the dolphin was lit by bright sunshine as the kayakers enjoyed a break from the 20C Dorset heat.

And it is likely many more will be heading to the seaside as the country prepares for its fifth heatwave this year, with highs of 36C expected.

Yellow heat health alerts will run from 9am on Saturday until 9pm on Tuesday, advising of potential impact of the warm weather on health and social care services.

And it is likely the annual record for days exceeding 30C in temperature will be broken next week.

The current record, 34 days, was set in 1995 but the UK has already seen temperatures reach 30C or more on 33 occasions this year.

A high of 36C is expected in parts of East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday, the Met Office said, following heatwaves in each of the last three months.

Sunbathers took advantage of the warm weather at Brighton beach on Friday as the country prepared for the fifth heatwave of the year

The highest temperature of the year was 38C recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on June 28.

There have been more than 2,800 excess deaths associated with the heatwaves, which have fuelled drought and wildfires.

Forecasters said the weekend will see a north-south split in the weather with Scotland and Northern Ireland likely to see spells of heavy rain, while England and Wales will remain largely dry, sunny and increasingly warm.

Temperatures could reach 30C on Saturday, before climbing into the low 30s in southern and south-east England on Sunday.

Highs of up to 30C are possible across parts of England and Wales on Tuesday, increasing to 32C to 34C on Wednesday, with the highest temperatures currently expected on Thursday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber and London.

Amid the continued heat, the National Trust has begun a petition calling on the Government to make tackling climate change a national mission.

In London’s Greenwich park, the once-lush green grass had turned a scorched brown after four heatwaves in the last three months

After England saw its driest July since records began, the Queen Mother reservoir in Berkshire was filled below average for the time of year

Advertisement

Wildfires have burned across the country, including at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, Headon Warren on the Isle of Wight, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.

Fires are likely to become exceptionally severe – the highest ranking – on Sunday for almost all of the east and south-east of England, according to the Fire Severity Index.

The Met Office data includes rainfall, temperature and humidity and agencies use the index to assess the severity of fire if it starts. It does not predict the chance of wildfires occurring.

Reservoir storage in England has dropped to 69 per cent, down from 72 per cent a week ago and nearly 12 percentage points below the long-term average for the time of year, the Environment Agency said on Friday.

Storage stood at 85 per cent at the end of June, which was the average for that time of year, but has fallen steadily in recent weeks.

Five reservoirs are now classed as having ‘exceptionally low’ levels after England and Wales saw their driest July since records began, the Met Office said.

Nineteen counties across England recorded effectively no rainfall – 1mm or less – across the whole of the month.