Beeston is bracing for extreme heat after the Met Office issued back-to-back Amber Extreme Heat Warnings, with temperatures forecast to hit 38 degrees Celsius by Thursday. The first warning runs from 1am on Monday, 22 June until 11:59pm on Tuesday, 23 June, and the second covers midnight on Wednesday, 24 June through to 11:59pm on Thursday, 25 June.
Tuesday’s peak is expected to reach 35C before climbing to 37C on Wednesday and then 38C on Thursday, with overnight minimums staying above 20C on both Wednesday and Thursday nights. Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster Tom Crabtree said the spell is developing into an impactful severe weather event, with record-breaking June temperatures and very high humidity. “The combination of heat and humidity will be oppressive and bring impacts across society from public health and infrastructure, to power and water supplies,” he said. Those tropical nights, where the mercury refuses to drop below 20C, will make it very hard for people to recover from the daytime heat, exacerbating heat stress impacts.
The UK Health Security Agency has simultaneously issued Yellow and Amber Heat Health Alerts, flagging potential strain on health and social care services. UV levels across the week sit at High to Very High in Beeston, and pollen levels are Very High. The oppressive feel is being driven by dew points around 22C, far stickier than the single-figure dew points recorded during the July 2022 heatwave, even if air temperatures then were slightly higher.
RNLI National Water Safety Partner Samantha Hughes urged caution around waterways, noting that despite the heat the water remains cold enough to trigger cold water shock. “Entering it unexpectedly can lead to cold water shock, causing a sudden increase in breathing and heart rate, which may trigger panic,” she said. Relief is in sight by Friday, when maximums are expected to drop to 28C, falling further to 26C on Saturday and around 24C on Sunday.
The existing June temperature record of 35.6C, set in Southampton and Camden Square decades ago, is now likely to be broken. Both warnings carry a Medium likelihood and Medium-to-High impact rating, with the second warning rated High impact across the East Midlands including Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.
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