Parts of England under heat alert with 30C temperatures possible

Heat alerts are in place across parts of England, with possible highs of 30C (86F) and officials saying temperatures are likely to have an impact on health and wellbeing.

The yellow heat health alerts issued for the East Midlands, east of England, London, south-east, south-west and West Midlands are in place until 9am on Sunday.

Temperatures in the affected areas are forecast to reach the mid- to high 20s, with a high of 30C a possibility, as a prolonged period of dry, warm weather continues in much of the country.

The heat health warning from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) comes after drought was declared in north Wales and the upper Severn region, following record dry conditions, heatwaves, wildfires and dwindling rivers.

It was the first part of the UK to declare drought status amid a summer of record-breaking heatwaves.

Many parts of England have had prolonged dry weather as the country has received just 3% of its average July rainfall. Hosepipe bans are in place for 23 million customers and suppliers are warning they may last all summer.

Wildfires have been raging in England, while Scotland has also been hit by a major fire in the Cairngorms. In Ireland, a nationwide hosepipe ban is in place.

This summer’s dry conditions follow last year’s summer drought, as the UK increasingly faces more extreme weather fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly from burning fossil fuels.

The Met Office said temperatures could reach 30C in parts of south-east England on Friday, while parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland will see patches of cloud.

The forecaster Craig Snell said outbreaks of rain would move southwards on Saturday, spreading from Scotland and Northern Ireland into northern England and parts of Wales.

By Sunday, temperatures were expected to become “fresher” across much of the UK, with rain possible in “areas that haven’t seen much” over the past few weeks, he added.

The Met Office said that while some areas would experience rain and showers, the wettest conditions were likely to remain confined to northern and north-western parts of the UK.

The Met Office chief meteorologist, Dan Suri, said: “For much of southern England, dry conditions are expected to remain the dominant feature, with temperatures recovering quickly next week and the potential for very warm or locally hot weather to return.”

The UK’s climatic extremes are becoming increasingly normal, the Met Office’s annual State of the UK Climate report found, with last year the hottest on record and further “unprecedented changes” likely to break the record again soon.

Data stretching back to 1884 shows the UK has never experienced a year as hot as 2025, according to the report, with temperatures pushed to dizzying heights by carbon pollution clogging the atmosphere.

While the UK’s climate is becoming wetter overall, punishing droughts amid hot and dry summers are expected to worsen as average temperatures increase further, the report found.

Earlier this month, the Met Office said the UK had already recorded as many 30C days in 2026 as in the extraordinarily hot year of 1976.

“What we used to think of as extreme, we increasingly consider as normal,” said Mike Kendon, a scientist at the National Climate Information Centre and lead author of the report. “We are seeing unprecedented changes continuing … and every year adds to this body of evidence.”

The heat alerts are in place at the beginning of a period in which millions of motorists are expected to take to the roads for summer getaways. The AA said about 6.3 million drivers were planning a road trip of more than 100 miles between Friday and next Thursday.

The port of Dover is expecting another busy weekend but has worked to smooth any delays caused by new EU border checks.

The ferry company DFDS said its waiting times at Dover were up to 60 minutes at border controls but “free-flowing” at check-in.

The weather health alerting system is provided by the UKHSA in partnership with the Met Office and is intended to provide early warning to the health and social care sector, emergency services, the voluntary and community sector and government departments when temperatures are likely to affect people’s health and wellbeing.

With PA Media