Yellow heat health alert issued across most of England over the weekend

A hot weather alert covering most areas of England has been issued for this weekend, with forecasters predicting temperatures will reach more than 30C by Saturday.

The UK Health Security Agency and Met Office put a yellow heat health alert in place for three days from 9am on Friday until the same time on Monday.

The authorities said "recent warm daytime temperatures are expected to rise further from Friday, with temperatures at night becoming warm and feeling humid".

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The health alert said expected impacts from the heat include a likely "increase in mortality", particularly among people aged over 65 or those with health conditions.

It also said "significant impacts are possible across the health and social care sector" because of the hot weather.

Weather experts say the following regions will be affected: East Midlands, West Midlands, North East, South East, South West, Yorkshire and The Humber, East of England, London.

Q&A from ITV Weather Presenter Becky Mantin

  • How hot will it get?

Temperatures are expected to continue climbing over the next few days, peaking at around 32C on Sunday.

  • Will we get any more thunderstorms?

With rising temperatures and increasing humidity, thunderstorms remain possible. We have two warnings in force today - both expiring this evening. Remember, thunderstorms are, by their nature, very hit and miss so not everyone in the warning area will get them. It's just worth being aware of the risk.

  • Will the weather affect Ascot and Glastonbury this week?

Ascot is likely to remain dry, warm and humid and after today, Glastonbury should also be dry with temperatures peaking in the mid 20s. The UV levels are high though so high factor sunscreen is, of course, imperative.

  • Will it be sunny for everyone over the next few days?

No. Plenty of sunshine around generally - albeit with a scattering of heavy, thundery showers, across the UK on Thursday and then rain bearing Atlantic frontal systems start to bring wet and windy weather to the northwest - although temperatures will remain above average - whilst high pressure keeps things dry, sunny and increasingly hot across many central and southeastern areas.

  • What happens after Sunday?

We currently expect conditions to return to cooler, more unsettled and more seasonal next week

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