Extreme weather warning released by Met Office ahead of nationwide heatwave

The Met Office has issued extreme weather warnings ahead of the anticipated heatwave happening early this week. 

It has issued a “red warning” of “extreme heat” and says that “substantial changes in working practices and daily routines will be required”. 

The forecast predicts highs of 35 degrees Celsius on Monday and Tuesday and lows of 18 degrees. The weather is set to stay warm for the rest of the week. 

The warning comes with health concerns of physical health and safety over the next week.

The Met Office is anticipating “significantly more people visiting coastal areas, lakes and rivers, leading to an increased risk of water safety incidents” as well as the physical reaction to the heat.

“The wider population are likely to experience some adverse health effects including sunburn or heat exhaustion (dehydration, nausea, fatigue) and other heat related illnesses”. 

Transport for Greater Manchester has issued warnings about possible delays  in travel during this period.

A spokesperson said: “On Monday and Tuesday, a 12-minute service will operate across the Metrolink network. This is to ensure that we can operate a reliable and frequent service.

“We will operate as many double services as possible to provide additional capacity and space on board.”

Advice

TfGM has also offered health advice for people travelling in the next few days and reminded passengers that each tram spot provides a help point if there is ever an urgent need for assistance. 

The NHS is on a Level 3 alert for the change in weather and has stated that this is a “het-health watch alert: level 3” which is described by the 2020 Heatwave Plan for England to be “triggered as soon as the Met Office confirms that threshold temperatures have been reached in any one region or more. This stage requires specific actions targeted at high‑risk groups.”

It has issued advice to advise the public on ways to keep cool over the next week. The list states the groups of people that are at a greater risk of getting dehydrated, nauseous and suffer from fatigue in the heat and how to combat that. 

The NHS has a comprehensive list of advice on staying healthy and cool during this next week.