Amber heat health alerts issued with UK temperatures set to soar above 30C

Image source, Getty By Simon King , Lead Weather Presenter  and  Ben Rich , Lead Weather Presenter Published 18 June 2026, 04:07 BST Updated 4 hours ago Amber heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) with a potential heatwave set to develop this weekend. The amber alerts cover the east, south-east and south-west of England as well as London, and are valid from 12:00 BST on Thursday until 20:00 on Tuesday. Yellow alerts are valid across the Midlands during the same times. Temperatures are set to climb above 30C (86F) during Friday and then again from Sunday - with the potential that some locations in the south and east of the UK may enter official heatwave conditions. Image source, BBC Weather Image caption, Amber heat health alerts have been issued for southern and eastern England Amber heat health alerts are issued when high temperatures are likely to have a significant impact on health and social care services. They suggest there is likely to be an increase in deaths, especially among those aged over 65 or with long-term health conditions. Friday is expected to be the first very hot day. Temperatures in southern and eastern England could rise as high as 31C (88F) with sunny spells in the forecast. Image caption, Friday will bring very high temperatures across southern and eastern England It will be a different story for Scotland and Northern Ireland with outbreaks of heavy rain. Some wet weather will also affect parts of northern England and Wales and temperatures here will reach around 17-24C (63-75F), closer to the seasonal average. Saturday will be less hot overall but by Sunday and Monday temperatures will rise again, perhaps touching 32 or 33C (90-91F). Sunny spells are likely but the heat may also spawn a few big thunderstorms. There is uncertainty about the forecast into the middle of next week but many computer weather models allow heat to linger, especially in the south. It is likely that some places will reach their official heatwave criteria - three consecutive days of temperatures above a threshold, which varies from 25 to 28C (77-82F) across different parts of the UK. What is the definition of a heatwave? Published 24 April 2025 Are 'heat spikes' becoming more common? Published 29 May What is a 'heat dome' and why does it lead to high temperatures? British weather is being influenced by a large and potentially record breaking heatwave developing across western Europe caused by a static area of high pressure. The high pressure can act like a lid causing warm air to get trapped underneath it. This leads to already warm or hot air becoming hotter and hotter, creating a so-called "heat dome". In the coming days temperatures across Spain, France, Germany and into eastern Europe will rise into the mid to high 30s. Image caption, An intense heatwave is developing over Europe with many places seeing temperatures 10-15C above the seasonal average By Sunday, temperatures could exceed 40C in parts of Fr