UK braces for another heatwave with temperatures set to reach 34C

The UK is bracing for another heatwave this week, with temperatures expected to soar to 34C in the south-east, just days after a scorching June that saw a provisional record of 37.7C at Lingwood, Strumpshaw Hill on June 26. The heat comes as a deadly heat dome in the US killed at least 25 people over the July 4 weekend, with temperatures exceeding 38C in eastern parts of the country. In the UK, the Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: 'We have got a heatwave on the way across parts of southern England and Wales, temperatures are already quite high across the south-east today. We could get 28C in London.' The UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow heat health alerts covering London, the South East, South West, East of England and East and West Midlands until Saturday, warning of a higher risk to life for vulnerable people and minor impacts on health and social care services. Mitchell added: 'The peak of the heat appears to be Thursday or Friday: 34C in the south-east. By comparison to the heatwave we saw in June, this heatwave won’t be as hot and humid, but it will be a prolonged spell of hot weather which lasts around a week.' Londoners and large parts of the south face tropical nights with temperatures staying above 20C even after dusk until at least Saturday. Hot weather is expected to hamper travel, with National Rail warning: 'The forecast weather may cause trains to be disrupted. Heat can cause overhead lines to expand and sag, line-side fires and also rails to buckle.' The pattern mirrors similar heat across Europe and the east coast US as climate breakdown accelerates, with the last 11 years being the warmest on record and 2026 continuing that trend. Yet worldwide, politicians remain divided on the transition to net zero.