Temperatures across the UK have started to rise as an extreme heat amber warning came into effect in England at the start of what is expected to be a record heat wave.
The Met Office has forecast that temperatures in Wales, the Midlands, the south-east and south-west of England could rise to 31 ° C on Sunday, before rising to 40 ° C over the next few days, while the country is preparing for the first red warning. for exceptional heat, which begins at midnight.
New Health Secretary Steve Barclay said additional measures for ambulance services were being put in place on Monday and Tuesday, including the provision of more call handlers and additional working hours.
Meteorologists have given an 80% chance that mercury will surpass the UK record temperature of 38.7 ° C, set in Cambridge in 2019, with temperatures in London expected to reach 40 ° C on Tuesday.
The UK’s first extreme red heat warning has been issued in much of England on Monday and Tuesday, while an amber warning initially covers all of England on Sunday and extends south to Scotland and Wales from Monday to Tuesday. Tuesday.
The UK Health Safety Agency has increased its heat health warning from level three to level four, which is described as a “national emergency”.
Barclay told the BBC: “We are asking people to be attentive to their neighbors and those who may be vulnerable.
“Every ambulance trust has well – developed contingency plans for extreme weather conditions [ and] We are using all the capacity of the hospital instead of people waiting longer than they need in ambulances outside. “
Ministers held a virtual Cobra emergency meeting on Saturday after meteorologists warned that record high temperatures could endanger lives.
Cabinet office minister Kit Malthouse, who chaired the meeting, said transport services would face “a major disruption” on Monday and Tuesday and urged people not to travel.
He added that schools were being given guidelines to allow them to remain open.
The Met Office said the chances of extreme heat events affecting the UK had increased significantly due to climate change.
“The chances of seeing 40 ° C days in the UK could be up to 10 times more likely in the current climate than in a natural climate unaffected by human influence,” the Met Office climate attribution scientist said. Dr. Nikos Christidis.