UK braces for week-long heatwave with temperatures reaching 34 degrees

The UK entered its third heatwave of 2024 in early July, with temperatures in southern England expected to climb as high as 34°C. Health authorities issued yellow heat alerts covering most of England, running from 4 July to 11 July. The Met Office forecast at least seven days in a row with temperatures between 28 and 32°C, making it longer-lasting than the June heatwave, which had peaked at 37.7°C in Norfolk. Northern and western parts of the UK stayed cooler, with Atlantic winds keeping temperatures in the low-to-mid 20s. Scientists have linked the growing number of extreme heat events to climate change, saying such conditions would have been almost impossible fifty years ago. Southern Water introduced a hosepipe ban in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from 10 July.