Heat health alert issued with temperatures to soar beyond 30C this weekend - after England experienced hottest June on record

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Residents across the UK should prepare for further heat in the coming days, with temperatures that could cause an increased risk to life for vulnerable people, the meteorological body has said.

It comes as it was revealed that last month was England’s warmest June on record, while the UK as a whole and Wales recorded their second warmest June, the Met Office said.

The record previously dated back to 1884.

The new yellow heat health alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covering the East Midlands, east, south-east and south-west England, including London, from 12pm on Saturday until 5pm on Wednesday.

The agency said that within the warning area, minor impacts were likely across health and social care services because of the high temperatures, including increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people and a greater risk to life to the same group.

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It also warned of a potential increase in water-related incidents, including risks from cold water shock and drowning.

The Met Office previously said temperatures in the south this week will be in the low to mid-20s before they are expected to rise to the high 20s or early 30s this weekend and into next week.

The new alert comes after a sweltering heatwave last week, during which the Met Office issued a rare red warning for extreme heat for parts of the country and the UKHSA put red heat health alerts in place.

The UK set a provisional June temperature record of 37.7C on Friday in Lingwood in Norfolk, according to the Met Office.

It beats the previous June record for the UK of 35.6C dating back to 1976 by more than 2C.

Such records have usually been broken by only a fraction of a degree in the past.

In England, a provisional mean temperature of 17.1C was recorded for the month, surpassing the previous record set in 2025 and nearly 3C above the long-term average.

The forecaster said “exceptionally warm overnight temperatures” during the latest heatwave helped to “drive the highest average minimum temperatures on record for the UK, England and Wales”.

For the UK, June 2026 provisionally ranks as the second warmest June on record, behind only June 2023.

Wales recorded its second warmest, while Scotland and Northern Ireland both saw their joint fourth warmest June since 1884.