Heat warning issued as UK set to be hotter than Ibiza on Friday

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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow heat health alert in advance of the hot spell for parts of the country ,meaning minor impacts across health and care services are likely.

They are currently in place from 3pm on Wednesday until 8pm on Monday June 22 - with the Met Office warning temperatures in the South East specifically could reach heatwave criteria by the weekend.

Warmer temperatures will be concentrated in the East Midlands, the east of England, London and the South East.

By Friday, temperatures could climb to 30C across parts of south-eastern England, however the UKHSA said there was also a chance of thunderstorms.

Read more: Heatwave could hit southern parts of UK by end of the week

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“Friday is likely to see very warm, locally hot conditions for south-east and some eastern areas of England, with higher humidity and the chance of a few thunderstorms,” a spokesperson for UKHSA said on Monday.

“There is considerable uncertainty for the duration of the very warm conditions however, as a weak weather front moving east into Saturday may bring slightly lower temperatures and fresher conditions.

“However, there is the potential that the weather front stalls toward the South East allowing very warm or hot conditions to linger across, or near to the far south or South East, perhaps then becoming more extensive again into the following week.”

Jonathan Vautrey, meteorologist at the Met Office,warned rising temperatures and humidity will likely come with overcast skies for many.

“By Friday there is potential for 30C across parts of south-eastern England,” Mr Vautrey said.

“The exact detail of the temperatures is going to be dependent on cloud amounts, because, whilst it is going to be warmer this coming week, there’s actually going to be a reasonable amount of cloud around at times as well – so it’s not going to be sort of wall to wall sunshine every day.“

But those temperatures are going to be rising nonetheless,” Mr Vautrey added, “and with that, it’s also going to be increasingly humid this time around.

“So I think people will certainly be noticing how muggy it starts to feel during the second half of this weekend, and some quite uncomfortable nights for sleeping well, with overnight temperatures in the high teens across south-eastern areas of England.”

Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, are expected to see more cloudy weatherand rain over the course of the week, with temperatures in those parts of the UK unlikely to rise above 20C to 21C.

According to the UKHSA website, a yellow heat health alert means there is likely to be a “greater risk to life of vulnerable people” and an “increased use of healthcare services” by this same demographic.

There is also an “increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm” and a likely rise in water‑related incidents, including “risks from cold‑water shock and drowning”.