New heat warning issued for large parts of the UK in days

Health officials have issued a hot weather warning in parts of the UK, saying high temperatures over the coming days could create a greater risk to life for vulnerable people.

The yellow heat health alert covers the East Midlands, east, southwest, and southeast England, including London, from 12pm on Saturday July 4 until 5pm on Wednesday, July 8.

The UKHSA said that minor impacts are likely within the affected area, including to health and social care services, because of the high temperatures.

This may include the increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable people and a greater risk to life for that group.

It also warned of a potential increase in water-related incidents, including risks from cold water shock and drowning.

Temperatures in London are expected to reach 31°C by Monday, steadily increasing over the weekend, with lows of between 15°C and 20°C.

The new alert comes after a sweltering heatwave gripped the nation last week, during which the Met Office issued a rare red warning for extreme heat for parts of the country, and the UKHSA put red heat health alerts in place.

The UK also saw its highest June temperature since records began in 1884 – 37.7°C on Friday in Lingwood in Norfolk – according to the Met Office.

It beats the previous June record for the UK of 35.6°C, dating back to 1976, by more than 2°C.

Such records have usually been broken by only a fraction of a degree. Last month was England’s warmest June on record, while the UK as a whole and Wales recorded their second warmest June, the Met Office said.

In England, a provisional mean temperature of 17.1°C was recorded for the month, surpassing the previous record set in 2025 and nearly 3°C above the long-term average.

The forecaster said ‘exceptionally warm overnight temperatures’ during the latest heatwave helped to ‘drive the highest average minimum temperatures on record for the UK, England and Wales’.

For the UK, June 2026 provisionally ranks as the second-warmest June on record, behind only June 2023.

Wales recorded its second warmest, while Scotland and Northern Ireland both saw their joint fourth warmest June since 1884.