The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued Heat Health Alerts for parts of England from Tuesday to Thursday this week, the Met Office announced on Monday 27 July 20261. The alerts cover a short, increasingly warm spell, with the highest temperatures expected in the southeast1.
Tuesday is expected to be hot in the southeast, widely reaching 29-30°C, and Wednesday is expected to see the peak of the heat, with maximum temperatures of 35°C possible across southeastern England1. The southeast will hold onto the heat for a little longer, where another hot day with temperatures widely around 29°C could bring parts of the region into official heatwave conditions by Thursday1. Elsewhere the weather will be more changeable, with western Scotland and northwest England remaining cloudier on Tuesday and periods of rain or drizzle, and a small chance of heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms across Northern Ireland and southern Scotland later in the day1.
The UKHSA's own update for 27 July set out the regional picture in more detail. The existing yellow heat-health alert for the East Midlands, East of England, South East and London was upgraded to amber and will be in place from 9am on Wednesday 29 July until 9am on Thursday 30 July, while a yellow heat-health alert remains in place for Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands and South West for the same period2. There is no alert in place for the North East and North West regions2.
| Region | Alert level | Period |
|---|---|---|
| East Midlands, East of England, South East, London | Amber (upgraded from yellow) | 9am Wednesday 29 July to 9am Thursday 30 July2 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands, South West | Yellow | Same period2 |
| North East, North West | No alert in place | Not applicable2 |
The Met Office's deputy chief forecaster, Gregory Wolverson, said the heat would be short lived but would climb quickly.
"This is a short-lived spell of heat, but temperatures will climb quickly through the first half of the week, particularly in the southeast."
By Friday, temperatures are expected to be much closer to average for most of the UK, and slightly below average in the far north1. Conditions over the weekend and into next week are more uncertain: it is likely to remain relatively dry and settled on Saturday, but this may give way to more unsettled conditions from Sunday onwards with some spells of rain and strong winds, and the Met Office says forecast confidence is low at this stage1.
Separately, despite some rainfall over the weekend and through the coming week, particularly over Scotland and Northern Ireland, wildfire conditions are forecast to remain elevated over much of England and Wales this week1. The National Fire Chiefs Council said fire and rescue services had already faced significant pressure this summer, and that the vast majority of wildfires are preventable1. It asked people to avoid using disposable barbecues in parks, the countryside and other open spaces, never to discard cigarettes on the ground, and always to take litter home1.
Why it matters for households
The alerts apply to parts of England only, and the Met Office describes the spell as short, with temperatures easing towards average by Friday1. Households in the amber areas of the East Midlands, East of England, South East and London are affected from 9am on Wednesday 29 July until 9am on Thursday 30 July, with yellow alerts over the same period in Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands and South West, and no alert in the North East and North West2. The Met Office has published a guide to heat-health alert levels and a guide to the UK Health Security Agency, and households can read about signing up for heat-health alerts. The elevated wildfire risk across much of England and Wales this week is separate from the health alerts and applies more widely than the alert areas1.
What happens next
The amber and yellow alerts run until 9am on Thursday 30 July, after which the UKHSA says any further changes to alert levels will be published on the UKHSA dashboard and on GOV.UK2. The Met Office says temperatures should be much closer to average by Friday, with low confidence in the forecast from Sunday onwards and updates to be issued through the week1.
Heat-Health Alerts Explained
UK Health Security Agency
