Still recovering from the last heatwave where the UK saw highs of 40C? Well, there’s another one coming up this week and we have good news and bad news. The good news? Temperatures will be at least five degrees lower than last time. The bad? This week’s heatwave will be longer than July’s, lasting up to ten days.
While the last heatwave saw the hottest day on record in the UK, this one is meant to reach high temperatures of around 35C on Friday and Saturday, according to the Met Office forecast.
But weather officials are still warning of the risk of fire after a particularly dry spell of weather this summer. People have been urged to refrain from having barbecues in the dry conditions after people from 15 homes were evacuated after a garden fire spread out of control in Essex on Saturday. The scorching weather is likely to continue across the whole of England and Wales over the coming week as high pressure increases across the UK, with sunshine expected for all areas across the country later in the week.
A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘It will be a lot of sunshine for a vast majority of the UK and also temperatures rising day after day.’
'Not everyone will initially see those sunny conditions, but towards the end of the week even Scotland and Northern Ireland will join the rest of the UK in having generally fine, sunny and very warm if not hot conditions.’
Despite the lower temperatures, the guidelines are similar to last time. The Met Office has urged people to follow precautions to avoid overheating, including closing curtains and windows and avoiding the midday sun. Meanwhile the UK environment secretary, George Eustice, has encouraged more water companies to impose hosepipe bans during an unusually dry August.
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