Met Office issues amber health alert with 34C heat forecast

Temperatures could reach 34C tomorrow, with the Met Office issuing an amber heat health alert for the second time this month.

The alert covers the south-west, the East Midlands, the south-east, and the east of England. Glastonbury festivalgoers can expect temperatures of almost 30C today at Worthy Farm.

There could also be record highs for the first day of Wimbledon tomorrow, with the previous hottest start to the tournament set at 29.3C in 2001. Players and spectators should prepare for uncomfortable heat until at least Tuesday evening.

The amber warning means an increase in risk to health and possible deaths, especially among those with existing medical conditions and those aged 65 and over. A less severe yellow health alert has also been issued for Yorkshire and the Humber, and the West Midlands.

The UK Health Security Agency advised that, as well as making sure to stay hydrated, people should cover up and wear sunscreen while outside, avoid the sun between 11am and 3pm, keep their homes cool with closed windows and curtains, and look out for any signs of heat exhaustion, such as tiredness, feeling faint or sick, headache, muscle cramps and intense thirst.

The amber alert issued earlier this month was the first since 2023. Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common in the UK owing to climate change. The chance of the temperature exceeding 40C in the UK is now more than 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s, according to a recent Met Office study.

Photograph by Celia McMahon/Alamy Live News