Heatwave warnings extended to north-west England
The heatwave warning has been
raised to "level three" by the Met
Office for north-west England.
It said the hottest weather was expected
over western England on Friday, with the
east becoming cooler.
Level three warnings are in place for the
South West and the West Midlands, but
warnings for south-east England and
London have been reduced to Level two.
The warning alerts healthcare services to
help those in high-risk groups such as
the elderly and young children.
Level three alerts are triggered when
threshold temperatures have been
reached for one day and the following
night, and the forecast for the next day
has a greater than 90% confidence level
that the day threshold temperature will
again be met.
The threshold temperature for north-
west England is 30C (86F).
Eastern areas will see cooler conditions
on Friday, with London and south-east
England reduced to a level two warning,
and the East of England reduced to a
level one warning - the minimum state of
vigilance.
Level two warnings are also currently in
place for the East Midlands and
Yorkshire and the Humber. These alerts
are triggered by a 60% or higher chance
of the threshold temperature again being
reached on the second day.
North-east England remains on a level
one warning.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
are not included in the alert system.
The Met Office said it would become less
hot for a time over the weekend, but
temperatures are expected to increase
again early next week with a likelihood of
level three being reached again in some
areas.
It is the UK's first prolonged heatwave
since 2006, with six consecutive days of
temperatures above 30C (86F).
Research by the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has
estimated there might have been
between 540 and 760 extra deaths in
England and 60 to 100 in Wales due to
the hot weather.
In other developments:
Walkers and climbers in Scotland
are being warned to guard against
potentially fatal dehydration,
heatstroke and heat exhaustion as
temperatures soar
A 15-year-old boy has died after
falling into the River Roe near
Limavady in County Londonderry.
Politicians have urged people to be
on their guard in "soaring
temperatures"
In Hampshire, gritting lorries have
been out on the roads trying to deal
with melting road surfaces
But the Highways Agency says it will
not have gritters on standby for
major routes in the South East. It
says it is confident road surfaces
can deal with the heat
A mountain fire at Wattsville,
Caerphilly, in dry grass and bracken
has been extinguished
Wednesday was the hottest day of the
year, with 32.2C (89.9F) recorded at
Hampton in south-west London.
