UK set for hottest June day on record as searing heat continues

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. UK set for hottest June day on record as searing heat continuesImage source, GettyBySimon King Lead Weather PresenterPublished1 minute agoThe UK is likely to experience its hottest June day on record on Tuesday with temperatures forecast to rise above 35C (95F). Heat will build through the middle of the week, potentially reaching 40C - less than one degree Celsius below the UK's hottest ever reading. The Met Office and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) have issued rare red warnings for Wednesday and Thursday in parts of the Midlands, south-east Wales and southern England with significant health and infrastructure impacts expected.

Amber warnings are also in force more widely across England and Wales as temperature rise up to the mid- to high 30s. Heat to ramp up as week progressesIt will be a hotter day for all of us on Tuesday. Across northern England and Wales it will get to 28 to 30C, but for the Midlands, eastern and southern England, temperatures will widely exceed 33C.

The Details

In some locations around the south Midlands towards Greater London, the mercury is expected to peak at around 36 or 37C. This will comfortably exceed the current June temperature record of 35. With sunnier weather across Scotland and Northern Ireland, it will also turn warmer with highs of 24 to 27C on Tuesday.

The heatwave will build further across England and Wales with a Met Office red warning coming into force at 9am Wednesday and lasting through until 9pm on Thursday. Image caption, The Met Office issued the red warning for extreme heat on Monday morning following an earlier amber As temperatures rise to the high 30s, the Met Office warns that the heat will impact health, infrastructure and property. Red warnings are rare and only issued in exceptional circumstances.

The last red warning for extreme heat was issued in July 2022. This was also when the UK temperature record of 40. 3C was set in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.

What Experts Say

With forecasts suggesting we could see 40C on Wednesday or Thursday in parts of England, this record may be under threat. UKHSA red heat health alerts, which also run through Wednesday and Thursday across the Midlands, eastern and southern England, indicate that severe impacts are expected across health and social care services, with an increased risk to life across the whole population. Heat health alerts are intended to inform the health and social care sector and the responder community.

Amber heat health alerts have also been issued across Northern England for the same times. Temperatures could hit 40C in UK as rare red heat warning issued Published1 hour agoHow to get a good night's sleep during hot weather Published11 hours agoSchools close as more than half of France under red heat alerts Published6 hours agoWhy a 1976-style heatwave in the UK would be even more extreme today Published4 hours agoHigh humidity to make conditions uncomfortableHigh humidity will accompany the high temperatures this week.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.