THE UK Met Office has extended an extreme weather warning for England and Wales until Tuesday, with Ireland also set to experience hot weather over the coming days.
The extreme weather warning had been issued for Sunday 17 July and Monday 18 July, and has also been implemented for Tuesday 19 July.
The warning means temperatures could be in excess of 35°C in the southeast, and more widely around 32°C within the warning area. Temperatures are expected to peak on Monday, with highs of 36°C.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said:
“Heat-health alerts have now been issued to the majority of the country, with temperatures set to remain consistently high throughout the duration of this week.
“Most of us can enjoy the hot weather when it arrives, but it is important to keep yourself hydrated and to find shade where possible when UV rays are strongest, between 11am and 3pm.
“If you have vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather.’’
The record high temperature in the UK is 38.7°C, which was reached at Cambridge Botanic Garden on 25 July 2019.
The Met Office’s Rebekah Sherwin added:
“Weather forecast models are run hundreds of times to determine the most likely weather outcome. For late in next weekend and early next week, some runs of these models are allowing exceptionally high temperatures to develop, which is something we’ll be monitoring closely and adding details in the coming days."
She said some models have bee producing maximum temperatures in excess of 40°C in parts of the UK over the coming weekend and beyond.
"At longer time scales temperature forecasts become less reliable, so whilst these figures can’t be ruled out, they are still only a low probability," she explained. "A number of weather scenarios are still possible and at the current time, mid- or perhaps high-30s are looking more likely.”
Extreme heat events do occur within natural climate variation due to changes in global weather patterns. However, the increase in the frequency, duration, and intensity of these events over recent decades is clearly linked to the observed warming of the planet and can be attributed to human activity, the Met Office has said.
Meanwhile, in Ireland temperatures are set to reach highs of up to 23°C.
It comes after the hottest day of the year (27.7°C) was recorded in Dublin's Phoenix Park on Monday.
The forecaster also says that current indications suggest the weekend too will also bring pent of warm and dry weather, however, there is the chance of some showers in parts of the west.
