Amber warmth well being alerts issued throughout most of England as fifth UK heatwave kicks in
Most of England is under amber heat health alerts as the UK faces its fifth heatwave of summer 2026, with temperatures forecast to reach the mid-30Cs and peak on Thursday
Amber heat health warnings have now been issued(Image: Getty Images)
Amber heat health warnings have been issued across the majority of England, with temperatures predicted to rocket into the mid-30Cs once again this week.
This comes as an increasing number of regions in England are expected to descend into drought conditions amidst the UK’s fifth summer heatwave.
Amber heat health alerts have been put in place for the East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, North West, South East, South West, and West Midlands. Meanwhile, a yellow heat health alert has been issued for the North East, effective from Tuesday, August 11, at 9am until Friday, August 14, at 9pm.
Temperatures are set to soar into the mid-30s this week(Image: demaerre via Getty Images)
The Met Office anticipates temperatures will rise into the mid 30Cs later in the week, following a comparatively cooler day on Monday, with the heat reaching its peak on Thursday.
Tragically, an 18-year-old lost their life after encountering difficulties in the sea at Camber Sands beach, East Sussex on Sunday. This brings the total number of fatalities in open-water incidents during the hot, dry summer to over 40, based on estimates from the Press Association.
Although this weekend could see some rainfall, including in southern areas which have gone weeks without any precipitation, forecasters warn it won’t compensate for the deficit experienced in recent weeks and months.
An increasing number of regions in England are expected to descend into drought conditions(Image: Getty Images)
The National Drought Group, comprising government and agency officials, water companies and agricultural leaders, is set to convene again on Monday, with additional regions of England likely to be declared in a state of drought.
Already half of England and the entire Welsh nation are gripped by drought, with 23 million customers facing hosepipe bans as rivers and reservoirs drop to worrying levels, while farmers issue warnings of a “brutal harvest” for crops and insufficient feed for livestock.
Devastating wildfires have struck regions including the Pennines, Scotland’s Cairngorms, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and Suffolk’s Dunwich Heath, forcing firefighters to battle hundreds of blazes across the country.
People have been urged to stay save during the UK’s fifth heatwave of the year so far(Image: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA/Shutterstock)
The exceptionally arid conditions this summer have merged with successive heatwaves, including record-shattering temperatures for the season in May and June that resulted in over 2,800 excess deaths.
Britain is increasingly grappling with the consequences of more severe weather patterns including drought, heatwaves and wildfires, driven by climate change which is predominantly caused by burning fossil fuels in power stations, vehicles, and for heating homes and industrial purposes.
Sections of the UK are now confronting their fifth heatwave of the summer – though some locations such as Exeter have experienced temperatures staying above regional heatwave thresholds between peaks of scorching heat.
However, the Met Office stated it did not expect to issue amber or red warnings for dangerous heat, as conditions would be arid rather than humid – which increases the threat to human health – as they were in late June when a rare red alert was triggered.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge explained 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,” he said.
The scorching temperatures will contribute to the already-record number of days in 2026 which have reached 35C or higher. While it will be brief, the heatwave will be extensive, with soaring temperatures extending up into Scotland – which has been battered by torrential downpours in recent days.
As the weekend approaches, the sweltering conditions will ease rapidly, and low pressure which could deliver rainfall into the south, Mr Madge said, but warned that it would not be sufficient to “make a dent” in the deficit seen until now.
“It will be welcome for gardeners and for others, but we’re not going to get a lot of rain and not enough to makeup for the shortfall we’ve had over the summer.”
England and Wales have experienced their driest July in records dating back to 1836, with 19 counties of England witnessing no rainfall for the entire month, provisional statistics have revealed.
Southern England also experienced its warmest July on record, while it was the joint warmest July on record for Wales, and the UK and England had their second warmest July, Met Office figures reveal.
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