The red warning will be in effect for Monday July 18 and Tuesday July 19 for parts of central, northern, eastern and southeastern England.
Meteorologist Paul Gundersen, chief of the Met Office, said: “Exceptional, perhaps record-breaking temperatures are likely to be early next week, quite far over the red warning zone on Monday, and a little more east and north on Tuesday.
“Currently there is a 50% chance that we can see temperatures above 40°C and 80% that we will see a new maximum temperature.
“The nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban areas. This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure. That’s why it’s important for people to plan for the heat and consider changing their routines. This heat can have adverse health effects.”
People are advised to “watch out for those who struggle to keep themselves cool and hydrated,” according to the NHSand to avoid drinking too much alcohol.
Here’s exactly what the warning means, along with what the others mean: heat wave levels mean.
What do the Met Office’s heat wave levels mean?
The Met Office sometimes issues weather warnings if the temperature exceeds certain levels. These are primarily intended to help health services and workers get through these periods.
“If alarm thresholds are reached outside this period, an extraordinary heat health warning will be issued and stakeholders will be advised to take the usual public health measures,” the spokesperson said. With Office website states.
There are five levels, here’s what they are and what they mean:
Level 0
The first level involves long-term planning to avoid the risks and complications of heat waves, along with “working together year-round to reduce the impact of climate change” and discovering ways to adapt to temperatures.
It is primarily intended to remind authorities of the importance and need to plan ahead for the warmer periods.
Level 1 – Green – Summer Preparedness and Long-Term Planning
The Met Office uses Level 1 all summer to stay vigilant as temperatures rise. Social and health services will do everything they can to ensure they are prepared for extreme weather.
Level 2 – Yellow – Alert and Readiness
The Level 2 alarm is deployed when the risk is “60% or greater for reaching threshold temperatures in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night”.
This is when social and health services are on high alert and working to try to ensure that the heat wave does not harm people and patients.
Level 3 – Amber – Heat Wave Action
The Met Office has activated a level 3 heat wave warning for parts of the UK. This is when the threshold temperature is reached all day and the next night, while the next day also has a 90% chance of reaching the threshold temperature again.
Healthcare and social services and workers will now roll out actions to protect at-risk groups who may not fare well in rising temperatures.
According to the NHS websiteThose most at risk are:
- Older people – especially those over 75 years old
- Those who live alone or in a care home
- People with serious or long-term illness, including heart or lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease, Parkinson’s disease, or certain mental illnesses
- Those who may find it difficult to keep a cool head – infants and very young children, those who are bedridden, those with drug or alcohol addictions, or those with Alzheimer’s disease
- People who spend a lot of time outside or in warm places – people who live in a top floor flat, homeless people or people with outside jobs
Level 4 – Red – National Emergency
The fourth and final warning level means a heat wave has been going on for so long at such high temperatures that its effects “extend beyond the health and social care system.”
The Met Office warns that at this stage, death and illness can occur among the fit and healthy, as well as those at risk.