The Met Office has issued amber heat health alerts for most of England as temperatures are forecast to soar into the mid-30Cs again this week
Cambridgeshire is bracing for yet another blast of scorching weather, with amber heat alerts slapped across most of England as temperatures are set to rocket into the mid‐30Cs this week.
The fresh warnings come as even more parts of the country are on the brink of being plunged into drought during what has become an extreme, relentless summer.
Regions including the East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, the North West, South East, South West and West Midlands will be under amber alert from 9am Tuesday until 9pm Friday, while the North East has been hit with a yellow warning.
The Met Office says Monday’s cooler conditions won’t last, with the mercury expected to soar and hit its highest point on Thursday. An 18 year old died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Camber Sands beach, East Sussex on Sunday, bringing the number of deaths in open-water incidents over the hot, dry summer to more than 40, according to Press Association estimates.
Although some rainfall is possible this weekend, including across the south – certain parts of which have gone weeks without any precipitation – forecasters caution that it will fall well short of compensating for the deficit accumulated over recent weeks and months.
The National Drought Group, comprising government and agency officials, water companies and farming leaders, is convening again on Monday, with additional areas of England widely anticipated to be formally declared in drought. Half of England and the entirety of Wales are already experiencing drought conditions, with 23 million customers subject to hosepipe bans as rivers and reservoirs reach critically low levels.
Farmers have warned of a “brutal harvest” for crops and a shortage of feed for livestock. Significant wildfires have broken out across areas including the Pennines, the Cairngorms in Scotland, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, with firefighters battling hundreds of blazes across the country.
This summer’s exceptionally dry conditions have coincided with several heatwaves, including record-breaking temperatures for the time of year in May and June, which contributed to more than 2,800 excess deaths.
Britain is increasingly feeling the effects of ever more extreme weather events, such as drought, heatwaves and wildfires, driven by climate change, which is predominantly caused by the burning of fossil fuels in power stations, vehicles, and for domestic and industrial heating.
Certain parts of the UK are now bracing themselves for a fifth heatwave of the summer, though some areas, such as Exeter, have seen temperatures remain persistently above regional heatwave thresholds even between the peaks of intense heat.
As amber heat health alerts were issued, Polly Ashmore, acting consultant in public health at the UK Health Security Agency, urged members of the public to take straightforward precautions to stay safe and to check in on vulnerable friends and family members. She said: “Drinking plenty of water, avoiding the sun during the hottest part of the day and keeping indoor spaces cool are all things you can do to keep yourself and others safe.
“For vulnerable groups including older adults and those with existing health conditions, warmer weather can result in serious health outcomes.
“We urge health and social care services to ensure they are prepared and encourage people to check on vulnerable friends and family to make sure everyone is aware of the forecast, follows the necessary advice and stays safe in this period of hot weather.”
However, the Met Office indicated it did not expect to issue its rarely-seen amber or red alerts for dangerous heat, as conditions would remain dry rather than humid — elevated humidity being a further aggravating factor to human health — unlike late June, when a red alert was triggered over several consecutive days.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge noted that, following cooler conditions on Monday, “the heat really comes back in for a time, and will peak on Thursday. We’re expecting values to be in the mid 30Cs, and possibly highest in the East.”
The scorching temperatures will contribute to an already record-breaking number of days in 2026 that have reached 35C or above.
Though brief in duration, the heat is expected to be widespread, with elevated temperatures stretching as far north as Scotland — a region that has endured persistent heavy rainfall in recent days. As the weekend approaches, temperatures will drop sharply, with an area of low pressure potentially bringing rainfall to the south, according to Mr Madge.
However, he cautioned that it would not be sufficient to “make a dent” in the deficit recorded so far.
“It will be welcome for gardeners and for others, but we’re not going to get a lot of rain and not enough to make up for the shortfall we’ve had over the summer.”
Provisional statistics reveal that England and Wales have experienced their driest July since records began in 1836, with 19 counties across England recording no rainfall whatsoever throughout the entire month.
Southern England also registered its hottest July on record, while Wales endured its joint hottest July on record. Meanwhile, Met Office figures confirm that both the UK and England recorded their second hottest July ever.
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