Yahoo News Heat-health alert for Stoke-on-Trent as UK braced for scorching 30C blast
A 'heat-health' alert has been issued for North Staffordshire - as the country could see temperatures reach 30C this week. Meteorologists believe heatwave conditions will hit certain parts of the UK.
In the latest weather for Stoke-on-Trent, the Met Office reckons Tuesday will be the warmest day - with highs of 25C. But the BBC reckons temperatures will drop towards the end of the week and into July when they won't get past the late teens.
In response to this week's forecast a yellow heat-health alert has been issued for every part of England - apart from the North East, which is green. The alert sits behind amber and red - denoting an emergency - and means the heat will be 'unlikely to impact most people'.
But it is a time where vulnerable people may struggle. The alert for North Staffordshire came in at 8am this morning and will run until 5pm on June 27.
Some parts of the country may tick the boxes for heatwave conditions - while it's expected the vast majority of the UK will bask in the hottest temperatures of the year so far.
Dan Rudman, deputy chief meteorologist with the Met Office, said: "Some central and southern areas are likely to see temperatures approaching the values needed for heatwave conditions. Heatwave conditions need to remain in situ for three consecutive days, and by the beginning to middle of next week it is possible that some parts of the UK could be reaching heatwave thresholds. However, whether or not everyone experiences heatwave thresholds, the majority of the UK will experience the highest temperatures so far this year."
Dan doesn't see the high temperatures sticking around. He added: "Confidence in the forecast reduces markedly from Wednesday onwards, with uncertainty in both how long the heat will last and how it will break down, which we will be keeping an eye on for the coming days. However, by next weekend, cooler, changeable conditions become more likely.
"The best advice for anyone wanting to know how the weather is shaping up from mid-next week, is to keep an eye on our latest forecast."
Latest forecast for Stoke-on-Trent
The Met Office is predicting highs of 24C today, 25C, on Tuesday and 24C on Wednesday. It won't get past 20C on Thursday where there's a chance of some light rain in the later afternoon and early evening.
From then it will be dry but not reaching the highs of earlier in the week. There'll be highs of 18C Friday and Saturday, and 19C on Sunday.
In its longer-range forecast, the BBC says July will start off with light rain every day next week with highs of around 18C on most days.
Met Office's UK long-range forecast
June 28 - July 7: "Fresher conditions with a westerly wind from the Atlantic, and changeable weather is most likely to prevail through much of this period; the hotter and more humid weather experienced by the south prior to this will most likely have been pushed away into the nearby Continent.
"However, there remains at first, a small risk that these conditions could linger for a time in the south, with the change to fresher weather more erratic with a chance of more widespread thunderstorms. This aside, western areas are likely to see the most frequent rainfall, whilst eastern areas remain drier, and a trend towards more generally settled weather through the period is probable. Temperatures expected to be around to a little above average."
July 8 - July 22: "Typical of the time of year, predictability at this range is very low compared with, say, the winter half of the year, thus forecast confidence is very low. That said, current indications suggest that a continuation of the trend towards more settled weather through mid-July is weakly favoured, with below average rainfall and temperatures around to a little above average.
"Any more significant rainfall would most likely be in the northwest, and in thunderstorms elsewhere. There is a slightly higher than normal chance of heatwaves developing through this period.
