The Met Office has issued level 2 and level 1 heat warnings across England as temperatures are set to increase this week.

This means that there is a 60% probability of Heat-Health Alert criteria being met.

Across South West England, South East England, the East Midlands and East of England the alert level is 2.

In the North West, North East, Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber the alert level is 1.

It is expected that this heat health warning will be met between midnight on Friday, June 17 and midnight on Sunday, June 19.

A Met Office statement says: “There is high confidence for temperatures to rise significantly through the second half of this week, becoming widely warm or very warm across England and likely hot, or perhaps even very hot in central and southern areas for a time.

“The highest temperatures are expected on Friday, with daytime maxima likely to reach into the low to mid-30s of Celsius across large parts of central and southern England.”

What is a heat health alert?

The Heat-Health Alert service operates in England from June 1 to September 15 each year, in association with UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

During this period temperature thresholds are most likely to be reaches. However, should thresholds for an alert be reached outside of this period, an extraordinary Heat-Health Alert will be issued and stakeholders are advised to take the usual public health actions.

The Met Office forecasts day-time and night-time maximum temperatures, which are monitored regionally.

When certain heat thresholds are passed, an alert is issued and sent to relevant health professionals and people working in social care as well as displayed on our website.

This enables health professionals to take action to minimise the impact of the heat on people's health.

What do the health alert levels mean?

There are four different alert levels, all with different meanings:

1- Summer preparedness and long-term planning

This is the minimum state of vigilance during the summer. During this time social and healthcare services will ensure that all awareness and background preparedness work is ongoing.

2- Alert and readiness

Triggered as soon as the risk is 60% or above for threshold temperatures being reached in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night. This is an important stage for social and healthcare services who will be working to ensure readiness and swift action to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.

3- Heatwave action

This is triggered when the Met Office confirms threshold temperatures for one or more regions have been reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the next day has a greater than 90% confidence level that the day threshold temperature will be met.

This stage requires social and healthcare services to target specific actions at high-risk groups.

4- National Emergency

Reached when a heatwave is so severe and/or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social care system. At this level, illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups.

 

You can keep up to date on heat health alerts on the Met Office website here.