Met Office eyeing up rare extreme heat warning ahead of 36°C temperatures

epaselect epa13157935 People sit on a bench in dry grass at Hampstead Heath in London in Britain, 09 August 2026. More than half of England has been officially declared in drought by the Environment Agency due to record-low rainfall and exceptionally high temperatures. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned that prolonged heatwaves and drought could lead to food product shortages. British farmers have started harvesting earlier than normal in an attempt to save failing crops as the country experienced its driest July on record. Grass growth is at a standstill in many areas of the UK, leaving livestock feed in short supply. EPA/NEIL HALL

The Met Office is considering issuing a rare amber or red extreme heat warning ahead of temperatures of 36°C or higher this week.

Parts of the country are preparing for their fifth heatwave of the summer as the UK continues to suffer through an unprecedented period of hot, dry weather.

Temperatures are set to rise again tomorrow after slightly cooling off today.

‘We’ll probably see highs reaching the mid-30s quite widely on Wednesday, and indeed on Thursday too for England and Wales,’ Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said.

‘On Wednesday, probably the Midlands, maybe a little bit further south, the M4 corridor, west of London, up towards the Midlands, is where we might have a small chance of reaching 36C in one or two spots.

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A sunbather reads while relaxing on the scorched grass of Hyde Park, in central London on August 9, 2026, as another heatwave threatens the capital this week. England and Wales recorded the driest July since records began. Some counties across England saw less than one millimetre of rain during the entire month of July. (Photo by Peter Nicholls / AFP via Getty Images)
A person walking through Primrose Hill, north London. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 33C in parts of the UK on Sunday as the country braces for a fifth heatwave over the coming week. Picture date: Sunday August 9, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Whitley/PA Wire

‘But Thursday at this stage looks the most likely hottest day of the week.

‘So 36°C is a fairly reasonable probability locally on Thursday and there’s a small chance it could get even higher than that.’

Half of England and all of Wales are experiencing drought conditions and more regions could be placed under them when officials meet at the National Drought Group today.

Morgan added: ‘If it wasn’t for this incredible summer that we’re currently seeing, then we’d be talking about these temperatures as being really, very unusual.

‘But of course, we’ve had such an exceptional summer, people have become a bit used to it.

‘There is a potential for impacts, so impacts to infrastructure, things like railway lines and power networks, impacts to vulnerable people as well.’

People walking through Primrose Hill, north London. Temperatures are expected to reach up to 33C in parts of the UK on Sunday as the country braces for a fifth heatwave over the coming week. Picture date: Sunday August 9, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Whitley/PA Wire
epa13157940 People walk through dry grass at Hampstead Heath in London in Britain, 09 August 2026. More than half of England has been officially declared in drought by the Environment Agency due to record-low rainfall and exceptionally high temperatures. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) has warned that prolonged heatwaves and drought could lead to food product shortages. British farmers have started harvesting earlier than normal in an attempt to save failing crops as the country experienced its driest July on record. Grass growth is at a standstill in many areas of the UK, leaving livestock feed in short supply. EPA/NEIL HALL

Health officials have warned of significant impacts to health and social care and a potential rise in deaths because of the heat. Nearly 3,000 excess deaths were caused by extreme heat in May and June in England and Wales alone.

Yellow heat health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, the southeast, the southwest, the east of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.

The alerts continue until 9pm on Tuesday, but may be extended.

Meanwhile, the Met Office is considering issuing rare extreme heat warnings ahead of the scorching temperatures forecast later in the week.

‘We sometimes issue extreme heat warnings, amber and red warnings, which we did back in June, so that’s under consideration at the moment,’ Morgan said.

More than 25 million people have restrictions on water use, the Environment Agency said, with millions under hosepipe bans, including all South East Water and Thames Water customers.

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Original source Met Office eyeing up rare extreme heat warning ahead of 36°C temperatures

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