Following warnings from by the Met Office of extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday and temperatures forecast to top 40C, people are being urged to stay safe.
A Red warning for London & South East England of extreme heat between 00:00 (UTC+1) on Mon 18 Jul 2022 and 23:59 (UTC+1) on Tue 19 Jul 2022 is currently in place.
What you can expect
- Population-wide adverse health effects experienced, not limited to those most vulnerable to extreme heat, leading to serious illness or danger to life. Government advice is that 999 services should be used in emergencies only; seek advice from 111 if you need non-emergency health advice.
- Substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required
- High risk of failure of heat-sensitive systems and equipment, potentially leading to localised loss of power and other essential services, such as water or mobile phone services
- Significantly more people visiting coastal areas, lakes and rivers, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents
- Delays on roads and road closures, along with delays and cancellations to rail and air travel, with significant welfare issues for those who experience even moderate delays
What should I do?
More details
Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking, temperatures are likely on Monday, then again on Tuesday. Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm for the UK, especially in urban areas. This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure. Temperatures are expected to drop away from Wednesday onwards.