Inisters make plans for first British nationality heat wave emergency relief amid predictions that the mercury could exceed 40C this weekend, according to reports.
A Cobra meeting took place at Downing Street on Monday after the With Office issued an orange weather warning for much of the UK.
The government could declare a national emergency if temperatures continue to rise, the Telegraph reports.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a national emergency is declared when warm weather is so extreme that “sickness and death can occur when fit and healthy”.
A UKHSA spokesperson told the newspaper: “There is a possibility of a level four heat wave. If it goes above 40C, it will likely be a level four heat wave for the first time.
“I don’t see how it couldn’t be at those temperatures.”
A national emergency would also threaten food supplies, disrupt roads and rail services and could lead to the closure of schools.
There’s a 30 percent chance Sunday will be the hottest day on record in the UK, and the Met Office is already issuing an orange weather warning for extreme heat. It will be in effect from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, when temperatures are expected to rise to 30 degrees.
The warning will be applied in the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East, North East, North West, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.
UK Weather: Summer Heat Wave 2022
The hottest day on record was a scorching 38.7°C temperature recorded at Cambridge Royal Botanic Garden in July 2019.
Weather forecast models suggest it could potentially reach 40C in the UK this weekend.
With Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “Parts of South East England could top 35C on Sunday.
“Right now we are looking at a 30 per cent chance of seeing the highest temperature in the UK.”
Sir John Hayes, chairman of the Common Sense Group of Tory MPs, urged Britons not to panic.
He told the Telegraph: “This is not a brave new world, but a cowardly new world we live in in a country where we fear the heat. It is not surprising that in snowflake Great Britain the snowflakes are melting. Fortunately, most of us are not snowflakes.
“The idea that we scream for warm weather for most of the year and then stop when it gets warmer is indicative of the state we live in now.”