The UK is facing its fourth heatwave of the summer with temperatures set to pass 30C on Monday in parts of the country.
A yellow health alert is in place from 12pm on Monday through to Wednesday evening for most of England – covering all regions except for the North West and North East.
The warning issued by the UK Health Security Agency means they expect heat-related issues such as an increase in deaths of over-65s, a higher demand on health services and an increased risk of overheating for vulnerable people.
Sunday is also set to be a scorcher, with the mercury looking to hit the high 20s in London and well into the mid-20s elsewhere.
There is also potential for thunderstorms. The remnants of ex-tropical storm Dexter will be heading towards the UK from the Atlantic side on Sunday – but this is unlikely to have a big impact, according to Sky News meteorologist Christopher England.
He says there may be some rain and thunderstorms later on Monday and into Tuesday, too.
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Heatwave criteria look set to be met in central, southern and eastern England on Tuesday, Mr England added.
This is when temperatures pass a threshold – between 25C and 28C depending on location – for three consecutive days.
Tom Morgan, meteorologist at the Met Office, said there would “definitely” be a “north-south split in the weather” on Monday.
He said it would be “quite cloudy across Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England, the rain tending to come and go, but most persistent in western Scotland”.
“Otherwise, England and Wales seeing mostly sunny skies, although there will be more in the way of high level cloud out there compared to on Sunday, so the sunshine will be hazy at times.”
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Fire services have already had to respond to blazes in the hot and dry conditions.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident on Saturday as around 100 firefighters battled a fire near Wimborne.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service also noted it tackled a grass fire on Saturday, although the cause is still unclear.
Mainland Europe is also bracing for high temperatures, with Spain, Portugal and France potentially getting into the 40C range.
