UK weather to see Brits hit with heatwave humidity 'dome' amid warning summer temperatures could top 43C
Scientists warn Britain faces a humidity “heat dome” over the coming days during an unprecedented heatwave driven by climate change.
Experts are issuing public health warnings as daytime temperatures are about to reach as high as 38C while “tropical nights” will make it difficult to sleep as homes cannot cool down. Scientists say temperatures later this summer could top 43C as some homes become “uninhabitable heattraps”. They warn A&Es could become overwhelmed while transport and energy infrastructure could fail.
Dr Akshay Deoras, research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science and Department of Meteorology at Reading University, said: “This is not just a heatwave, it is a heat-dome driven furnace that will grip most of southern UK and push temperatures into truly exceptional territory.
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“Unlike the heatwaves of May 2026 and July 2022, elevated humidity levels are expected to make conditions feel even more oppressive and dangerous by severely reducing the body’s ability to cool itself through sweating. Temperatures [are] edging dangerously close to levels previously thought almost unimaginable in the UK.”
An amber alert for extreme heat on Monday and Tuesday has been extended by the Met Office until at least the end of Thursday. Temperatures will be in the high 30s for much of the country from tomorrow. This week temperatures in the UK are expected to reach a record 38C or 39C. The current June record is 35.6C. Prof Liz Bentley, Chief Executive, Royal Meteorological Society, said: “This will lead to two consecutive months, May and June, in which the UK temperature records have been annihilated by well over 2C.”
Bill McGuire, professor emeritus of climate hazards at University College London, said: “The UK temperature broke the 40C barrier in July 2022, so it should come as no surprise that after another four years of global heating here we are again. In the current climate, UK summer temperatures of 43C+ are possible, as are heatwaves lasting for multiple days with temperatures at or close to 40C.
"This has massive implications for health, energy infrastructure, and transport, which are simply not built for these conditions. As 40+ temperatures become ever more common, expect many thousands sleeping in the streets as poorly insulated homes become uninhabitable heattraps, widespread power cuts as power cables sag and break, transport chaos as rails, overhead wires and signalling fail, and A&E departments overwhelmed by the old, very young, and vulnerable suffering from overheating.”
The heat is spreading from mainland Europe where temperatures in parts of western France will hit 44C in the next few days. The main difference from previous recent heatwaves will be the increased humidity expected. Dr Deoras explained: “The driving force behind this event is a heat dome, which is a vast area of high pressure parked over the UK and western Europe.
"Think of it as a giant atmospheric lid, suppressing cloud formation and allowing relentless sunshine to bake the ground day after day. At the same time, air sinking beneath the high pressure compresses and warms, much like air heating up inside a bicycle pump when it is squeezed.
“Human-driven climate change has provided the springboard for this event, loading the atmosphere with extra heat and making extreme temperatures far more intense than they would have been in the past. Adding to the concern is the likelihood of widespread tropical nights, where temperatures remain above 20C after dark. This prevents homes and buildings from cooling down, leaving many people struggling to sleep and reducing the body’s ability to recover from the daytime heat.”
More northerly areas of England and Wales are under the Met Office amber alert for extreme heat only on Wednesday and Thursday. Daytime temperatures are expected to exceed 30C widely across the warning areas this week. Dr Chloe Brimicombe, climate scientist and heatwave researcher at Oxford University, said: “It’s possible that for a second month in a row record temperatures could be broken which is quite alarming. The UK record dates back to the infamous 1976.”
Richard Allan, professor of climate science at Reading University, said: “A heatwave in June is par for the course but temperatures nudging toward 40C were unprecedented for the UK up until 2022. Whilst May brought record dry heat, this week will see a more muggy heatwave that makes it difficult to stay cool and critical for those with underlying health conditions.
“It is blindingly obvious that heatwaves will increase in severity as rising greenhouse gases stifle the planet’s ability to lose heat to space. A warmer atmosphere’s greater thirst for water also means more rapidly onsetting droughts but also the intensification of extreme rainfall and associated flooding as excess water drained from the soil and oceans is channelled into storms that can often be sparked off by summer heat.
“The reality of global warming talked about when I was young in the 1980s is now playing out, yet the solution to avoid further dangerous climate change remains unchanged – upgrade our industry, transport and agriculture to vanquish greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of society.”
Daily Mirror
