Third heatwave of year to bring 34C peak as health alerts and hosepipe ban issued

Another heatwave is building across parts of the UK from this weekend, with forecasters warning that temperatures could reach 33C or 34C – the third such spell for some areas this year. Week-long yellow heat health alerts have been issued by the UK Health Security Agency from the Midlands and East Anglia down across both the south‑east and south‑west of England, coming into force at 12:00 BST on Saturday and remaining valid until 20:00 on Saturday 11 July. The alerts warn of an increased risk to health, particularly for vulnerable people, as the highest temperatures are expected in southern England. While this heatwave may not be as intense as the record‑breaking one in June, it may last a lot longer – the hot spell could persist into the middle of July. Temperatures will rise gradually over the weekend as high pressure builds from the Azores, turning warmer still from Monday with the peak expected during the second half of the week across England and Wales. The highest values will be focused across southern and eastern England, where they could widely exceed 30C. In the north‑east of England and eastern Scotland, the mid to high 20s are possible, but western areas such as Lancashire, the Lake District, western Scotland and Northern Ireland will be exposed to an Atlantic breeze that will limit temperatures to the low to mid 20s. The Met Office said temperatures are expected to approach the low 30Cs at the beginning of the week before the heat surges, with a scorching 34C possible in the South East on Thursday or Friday. A ridge of high pressure linked to the Azores High is expected to extend north‑eastwards across the UK while the jet stream shifts north, blocking Atlantic low‑pressure systems and bringing plenty of sunshine and dry weather. Alongside the health warnings, a fresh hosepipe ban has been announced. Drivers are also being urged to fill up their tanks before the heatwave hits, because hot weather can cause cars to burn fuel at a faster rate than usual. Experts said that driver behaviour such as using air conditioning reduces fuel economy – under very hot conditions, air conditioning can reduce a conventional vehicle’s fuel economy by more than 25%, particularly on short trips. Fuel gauges can also become inaccurate in extreme heat, and motorists risk being stranded in traffic. PassMeFast.co.uk advised: “When the weather’s nice and warm, your car’s fuel levels drop a lot quicker than usual. To avoid getting stuck in the middle of nowhere, or at the centre of a traffic jam on a hot day, make sure you head to the petrol station in good time.”