Parts of Suffolk are already in an official heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 27C at Santon Downham for three consecutive days. Many more locations will join them over the weekend.
Parts of England could see a “tropical night” on Sunday and Monday – a term used to describe a night when temperatures do not fall below 20C.
Monday’s heat will not be far away from the June record which stands at 35.6C, recorded in Southampton during summer 1976.
Large parts of England saw another heatwave last weekend, before temperatures cooled earlier this week.
Passengers were forced to evacuate trains in south London during the 30C heat after a fault on one train brought services to a standstill. There were also warnings of a surge in excess deaths and 999 calls.
While it is hard to link individual extreme weather events to climate change, heatwaves are becoming more common and more intense due to climate change.
Scientists at World Weather Attribution analyse the influence of climate change on extreme weather events.
They say June heatwaves with three consecutive days above 28C are about 10 times more likely to occur now compared to the pre-industrial climate, before humans started burning fossil fuels.
The heat health alert system has been used since 2023 by the UKHSA and the Met Office to prepare health and social care professionals for the impacts of hot weather.
There are four levels of warning – green, yellow, amber and red. Among examples given by UKHSA are difficulties managing medicines, the ability of the workforce to deliver services and internal temperatures in care settings exceeding the recommended thresholds.
