What are heat health alerts and are we in for a heatwave? Here's all you need to know

Temperatures are warming up

Things seem to be hotting up in parts of the UK. Yellow heat health alerts are in place for most of England this week, as daytime temperatures look set to reach 30C (86F).

The heat health alert system was introduced in England last year to help prepare people for more extreme spells of weather.

The alerts from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) will remain in place in eight regions until 17:00 on Thursday 27 June.

A yellow warning means that weather conditions could be a risk to those who are particularly vulnerable.

What is the latest weather forecast?

The sun will be making an appearance in some parts of the UK

Despite the recent wetter conditions, the warnings mean many people are going to have a few days of hot weather.

In fact, the next few days are predicted to bring the highest temperatures of the summer so far. This is as warm air surges northwards across the UK.

Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to see their warmest weather on Monday, with highs of 24 to 26C. It may reach 27C in eastern Scotland, before cloudier and cooler weather arrives from the west on Tuesday.

But in England and Wales, the heat is expected to last for longer, with midweek temperatures of 28 or 29C likely in the South East.

What is a heat health alert?

Animals need to stay safe in the heat too

The weather health alert system was introduced in June 2023 and is run by the UKHSA and the Met Office.

It was designed to help reduce illness by improving communication during times of extreme weather. Each warning has a different colour.

• Green: No warning

• Yellow: Vulnerable people likely to be affected

• Amber: Conditions could affect the whole population

• Red: A significant danger to life

The service covers England only. The BBC has asked Public Health Wales for a comment about the warm weather.

Heat health alerts are usually issued between 1 June and 30 September, and cold health alerts between 1 November and 30 March.

They are sent by email to those who have signed up and to NHS England, the government and other healthcare professionals.

Where are the current heat health alerts?

The heat alerts are in place until Thursday

Yellow heat health alerts have been in place since 08:00 on Monday 24 June in eight regions of England. These are East Midlands, West Midlands, North West, South East, South West, East of England, London and Yorkshire and the Humber. The North East is not affected.

The alerts will remain in place until 17:00 on Thursday 27 June.

The weather is expected to turn cooler, cloudier and wetter by the end of the week, but the Met Office says there is uncertainty about how quickly that change will take place.

What is classed as a heatwave?

People may be heading to the beach to keep cool in the sea

It is possible that some areas might reach the Met Office’s official heatwave criteria.

This is when a place records at least three days in a row with daily maximum temperatures that meet or are hotter than the heatwave temperature threshold for that area.