A yellow heat-health alert has been upgraded to amber as forecasters anticipate the hottest day of the year so far.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) escalated yesterday’s yellow alert to amber as the Met Office predicted temperatures would rise to 30C (86F) on Saturday.
The amber alert will cover the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South West and South West.
The amber alert indicates that the weather could affect the wider population, not just those who are vulnerable – impacting the NHS.
In a statement, the UKHSA said: “The decision to move to an amber alert has been made due to latest Met Office forecasts, which indicate there is a high likelihood that forecasted temperatures will be reached rapidly over the weekend in these regions, while we are also likely to see high overnight temperatures.”
A yellow alert has now also been issued in the North East, North West and Yorkshire and Humber, while London will remain at the same level.
The alerts are in place from 9am on Friday until 9am on Monday, 12 June.
