Extreme heat warning issued for parts of Yorkshire as temperature set to hit mid-30s
An extreme heat warning has been issued for Yorkshire as temperatures in parts of the county are set to hit the mid to late 30s this week.
The Met Office is forecasting parts of South and West Yorkshire will see temperatures hit 33 degrees on Tuesday (Jun 23), before edging up to 36 degrees on Wednesday (Jun 24) and 38 degrees on Thursday (Jun 25).
The hot conditions, which have been very rare in the UK until now, will be accompanied by high humidity, and very warm and humid nights which will make it hard for people to recover overnight, the Met Office added.
They will have widespread impacts on health and bring “significant disruption” to daily life, it warned, as it urged people to adapt their routines where possible to cope.
Dr Will Lang, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “We are forecasting extreme temperatures in the next few days, particularly on Wednesday and Thursday, when it looks like we’ll be seeing maximum temperatures into the high 30s.
“But also we are stressing very high overnight temperatures which will be very uncomfortable for vulnerable groups, and very humid conditions as well.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued an amber health warning for Yorkshire and the Humber following the forecast.
It says s ignificant impacts are expected across health and social care services due to the high temperatures.
These impacts include:
- a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. There may also be impacts on younger age groups
- likely increased demand on all health and social care services
- internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment
- the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services
- indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings
- issues managing medicines
- staffing issues due to external factors (for example, affecting transport)
- increased demand for power exceeding capacity
- other sector starting to observe impacts (for example, travel delays)
- water-related incidents may increase, including risks from cold-water shock and drowning