The Met Office and UKHSA are warning of a heatwave lasting until at least next week, with Birmingham households urged to stay inside during the hottest parts of the day. The exact hour the Birmingham heatwave peaks has been revealed.
Heatwave Alerts Issued
Amber and yellow heat-health alerts have been issued by the UKHSA for six regions in England. The West Midlands faces a yellow alert. The advice from the Met Office urges households to stay indoors during the hottest part of the day, from 11am to 3pm.
Peak Temperatures Forecast
Forecasts on the Met Office website suggest the heatwave is likely to peak on Monday, June 22, for Birmingham. After highs of 26C on Friday, June 19, the weather will intensify over the weekend, leading to 30C highs on Monday, June 22 and Tuesday, June 23. Monday is likely to peak around 31C between 5pm and 6pm, according to medium-term forecasts.
Previous Heatwave Records
Last month, much of the UK faced an unprecedented heatwave, breaking the May temperature record with a high of 35.1C (95.1F) at Kew Gardens in London. 32.9C (91.2F) recorded in Cardiff was a May record for Wales, and Ireland also recorded its highest May temperature with 30C. The spring weather event was "one of the UK's most extreme high temperature events in our observational records", the Met Office has said previously.
Current Outlook
Now, Birmingham faces the first heatwave of summer proper. Alex Deakin from the Met Office said: "It's another day of big contrasts - outbreaks of rain across Scotland and Northern Ireland creep their way to northern England and Wales through much of the day. The Midlands and east of England dry. Also later, Northern Ireland and Scotland turns brighter but with a risk of thunderstorms. Temperatures vary hugely. Highs of high teens at best for some, but ahead of that, warm and humid air, with close to 25C and high twenties for some in the south and East Anglia. Coasts will be murky, and colder, but during the evening the rain continues to be a risk with thunderstorms for a time. The rain fizzles out after the initial band, with a warm and humid night."
