Amber heat health alerts have been issued for most of England as temperatures are forecast to soar into the mid-30Cs again this week.

It comes as more areas of England look likely to plunge into drought as the UK’s extreme summer continues.

Amber heat health alerts have been issued for the East Midlands, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, London, North West, South East, South West, and West Midlands, while a yellow heat health alert has been issued for the North East, from Tuesday August 11 at 9am until Friday August 14 at 9pm.

The Met Office said it was expecting temperatures to climb into the mid 30Cs later in the week, after a relatively cool day on Monday, with the heat peaking on Thursday.

An 18-year-old died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Camber Sands beach, East Sussex on Sunday, bringing the number of deaths in open-water incidents over the hot, dry summer to more than 40, according to Press Association estimates.

While this weekend could see rain, including in the south – some parts of which have had weeks without any rainfall – it will not make up for the shortfall in recent weeks and months, forecasters warn.

The National Drought Group, made up of government and agency officials, water companies and farming leaders, is meeting again on Monday, with more areas of England expected to be declared in drought.

Already half of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, and 23 million customers have hosepipe bans as rivers and reservoirs run low, and farmers warn of a “brutal harvest” for crops and a lack of feed for livestock.

Major wildfires have hit areas such as the Pennines, the Cairngorms in Scotland, Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, South Wales, and Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, as firefighters have been forced to grapple with hundreds of blazes.

The extreme dry conditions this summer have combined with multiple heatwaves, including record-breaking heat for the time of year in May and June that led to more than 2,800 excess deaths.

The UK is increasingly struggling with the impact of more extreme weather such as drought, heatwaves and wildfires, fuelled by climate change which is mostly caused by burning fossil fuels in power plants, in vehicles, and to heat homes and for industry.

Parts of the UK are now facing their fifth heatwave of the summer – although some areas such as Exeter have seen temperatures remain above regional heatwave thresholds in between spikes of heat.

As the amber heat health alerts were issued, Polly Ashmore, acting consultant in public health at the UK Health Security Agency, urged people to take simple steps to stay safe and check in with vulnerable friends and family.

She said: “Drinking plenty of water, avoiding the sun during the hottest part of the day and keeping indoor spaces cool are all things you can do to keep yourself and others safe.

“For vulnerable groups including older adults and those with existing health conditions, warmer weather can result in serious health outcomes.

“We urge health and social care services to ensure they are prepared and encourage people to check on vulnerable friends and family to make sure everyone is aware of the forecast, follows the necessary advice and stays safe in this period of hot weather.”

But the Met Office said it did not anticipate issuing its rare amber or red alerts for dangerous heat, as the conditions would be dry, and not humid – which further raises the risk to human health – as they were in late June when a red alert was activated over several days.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said that, after fresher conditions on Monday, “the heat really comes back in for a time, and will peak on Thursday.

“We’re expecting values to be in the mid 30Cs, and possibly highest in the East.”

The heat will add to the already-record number of days in 2026 which have reached 35C or higher.

Although it will be short-lived, the heat will be widespread, with high temperatures seen up into Scotland – which has been hit by heavy rain in recent days.

As the weekend arrives, the heat will subside quickly, and low pressure which could bring rain into the south, Mr Madge said, but added that it would not be enough to “make a dent” in the shortfall seen until now.

“It will be welcome for gardeners and for others, but we’re not going to get a lot of rain and not enough to make up for the shortfall we’ve had over the summer.”

England and Wales have had their driest July in records dating back to 1836, with 19 counties of England seeing no rain for the entire month, provisional statistics have shown.

Southern England also had its hottest July on record, while it was the joint hottest July on record for Wales, and the UK and England had their second hottest July, Met Office figures show.