Met Office says 31C heat will return to UK as UKHSA issues new alert

Temperatures are set to climb back into the low 30s early next week, with London forecast to reach 31C on Monday, July 6, as the UK Health Security Agency runs a yellow heat health alert for parts of England.

The alert covers the East Midlands, East, South East, South West and London from midday on Saturday, July 4, until 5pm on Wednesday, July 8. Coverage cited in the reporting says temperatures are expected to reach 28C in London on Saturday, 29C on Sunday and 31C on Monday.

What the forecast says

The latest forecast points to a short return of warmer, more settled conditions after recent unsettled weather elsewhere in the UK. Southern and eastern England are expected to see the sharpest rise, with temperatures moving from the low to mid-20s into the high 20s and low 30s.

Areas outside the alert zone are expected to stay mostly in the high teens to low 20s.

Why the alert matters

UK heat alerts are designed to warn health and care services when hot weather could create extra risk, especially for older people, people with underlying health conditions and others who are more vulnerable in high temperatures.

The new warning comes after England recorded its hottest June on record. Met Office-backed data cited in the reporting shows a provisional high of 37.7C at Lingwood in Norfolk on Friday, June 27, and follows a late-June run of red heat warnings and red heat health alerts in parts of the UK.

What happens next

The key question now is whether the forecast peak on Monday, July 6, holds and whether the hot spell widens or intensifies before the alert ends on Wednesday, July 8.

The Met Office and UKHSA may still update the forecast or change the alert level if conditions shift over the weekend.