Yellow heat health alerts issued for most of England as temperatures set to soar

Yellow heat health alerts have been issued for most of England with temperatures set to soar across the country later this week.

Yorkshire and The Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East England, the South East, the South West and London are all covered by the alert which comes into force at 12:00 BST on Wednesday and lasts until 18:00 on Sunday.

The alert is the lowest behind amber and red on the UK Health Security Agency's (UKHSA) alerting system, but warns of possible impacts on health and social services.

Temperatures are set to be as high as 26C in London on Tuesday, with an area of high pressure building across the UK likely to bring the first heatwave of 2025 later in the week.

All of the affected areas excluding Yorkshire and the Humber have been given a risk score of 10 out of a possible 16, meaning "significant impacts are possible" due to high temperatures.

The UKHSA's website says this includes a possible rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions, while younger age groups could also be affected.

An increase in demand for health services is likely, it said, and there is a risk the heat could affect the ability of people working in hospitals and care homes to deliver services.

Internal temperatures in hospitals, care homes and independent accommodation could also pose a risk to vulnerable people, it said.

Yorkshire and the Humber's score of seven means that only minor impacts are likely.

Temperatures across the UK will continue to climb, meaning it is likely heatwave conditions are met in some parts at the end of the week and into the weekend.

While Tuesday will see cloudy weather with patches of rain in parts of Scotland, northwest England and northwest Wales, southern parts of the UK will see warm sunshine with London expected to see highs of 26C.

Fine weather will continue in southern parts on Wednesday, with a dry day with very warm sunshine expected in England and Wales, with a cloudier day across Scotland and Northern Ireland with patchy rain in the west.

But a build up of high pressure will see the sunshine pushed further north too by Thursday, with temperatures of 23C in Glasgow and 21C in Belfast, while highs of 27C are expected in London and Cardiff.

Temperatures could get even higher for the weekend as the high pressure moves towards the east, allowing a breeze to come in from the continent which could see the heat beat this year's record of 29.4C, recorded in Santon Downham in Suffolk on Friday.