London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 28, 2025

Heatwave: National emergency declared after UK's first red extreme heat warning

Heatwave: National emergency declared after UK's first red extreme heat warning

A national emergency has been declared after a red extreme heat warning was issued for the first time, as temperatures could hit 40C (104F).
The Met Office's highest warning covers an area including London, Manchester and York on Monday and Tuesday.

It means there is a risk to life and daily routines will need to change.

Speed restrictions are likely on railway lines, some schools will close early and some hospital appointments will be cancelled.

On the roads, gritters are planning to spread sand to reduce melting, and the RAC has warned more drivers will need help as cars overheat.

Meanwhile in sport, five horse race meetings have been cancelled on Monday and Tuesday because of the forecast temperatures.

On top of the Met Office warning, the UK Health Security Agency issued its highest level four heat alert to health and care bodies - warning illness and death could occur "among the fit and healthy".

It is the first time a red heat warning has been issued for parts of the UK, although the extreme heat warning system was only introduced in 2021.

Downing Street said the alert was being treated as a national emergency, with officials meeting on Friday and over the weekend to discuss the response.

The weather at the start of next week is forecast to be warm across the UK but temperatures will be more like 30C in Scotland and Northern Ireland, rather than the high 30s predicted in parts of England and Wales.

The heatwave - originating in north Africa - is spreading across Europe and has fuelled wildfires in Portugal, France and Spain.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said it was "potentially a very serious situation", with a 50% chance of temperatures reaching 40C - likely along the A1 corridor, running from London northwards towards Yorkshire and the North East.

The highest recorded temperature in the UK was 38.7C in Cambridge in 2019 and BBC Weather presenter Matt Taylor said there is now a realistic possibility of hitting 40C in the UK.

"That is exceptionally hot, the sort of temperatures that if you are on holiday you may be able to deal with but in day-to-day life it can have severe impacts on health," he said.

Night-time temperatures in some areas will not drop below 25C but they are likely to start cooling off from Wednesday.

Met Office CEO Penny Endersby said the extreme heat forecast was "absolutely unprecedented" and she urged people to take the warning as seriously as a red or amber warning for snow or wind.

People in the UK are used to treating hot weather as a "chance to go and play in the sun" but "this is not that sort of weather", she said.

In England, there were 2,500 excess deaths in the summer of 2020 due to hot weather, and the Red Cross predicts that heat-related deaths in the UK could treble in 30 years.

People are being urged to stay hydrated, look out for vulnerable people, keep curtains closed and stay out of the midday sun.

There have been concerns about pressure on the NHS during the extreme weather. Downing Street said contingency plans were in place and the prime minister was being updated.

The world has already warmed by about 1.1C since the latter half of the 18th century, and experts predict that temperatures will keep rising unless governments make steep cuts to emissions.

Seven of the top 10 hottest days in the UK have been since 2003, Mr Taylor said.

The latest heatwave has brought warnings of disruption to travel with rail firm Avanti West Coast warning that weekend services might be cancelled at short notice, with amended timetables and extended journey times expected on Monday and Tuesday.

It said customers should only travel "if absolutely necessary" early next week.

Network Rail said the impact to train services would "vary by region, but journeys will take significantly longer and there is a likelihood of cancellations, delays and last-minute alterations".

In other developments:

* Some schools across England are preparing to close early, relax uniform rules and cancel or reschedule sports days

* Milton Keynes University Hospital said routine outpatient appointments and surgery will not go ahead on Monday and Tuesday

* Animal charity Blue Cross wants people to look out for signs their pets are suffering in the heat
The glass-fronted Portcullis House, Westminster, which houses the Home Office help desk, will be too hot for government workers and will shut at the start of next week

* Snake owners have been advised to be "extra vigilant" because hot weather can make the reptiles more likely to escape, the RSPCA has warned
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
Explosive Email Shows Sarah Ferguson Begged Forgiveness from Jeffrey Epstein After Taking His Money
Corrupt UK Politician Ed Davey Demands Elon Musk’s Arrest for Supporting Democracy
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Alibaba Debuts Open-Source Deep Research Agent with Benchmarks Rivaling OpenAI
Marcos Faces Legacy-Defining Crisis as Flood Projects Scandal Sparks Massive Tide of Protests
China’s Micro-Drama Boom Turns Stalled Real Estate Projects into Lavish Film Sets
New Eye Drops Show Promise in Replacing Reading Glasses for Presbyopia
'Company Got 5,189 H-1B Visas, Then Laid Off 16,000 Americans': US Defends New $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Golf legend tells Omar she should be 'sent back to Somalia' after her Kirk comments
EU Set to Bar Big Tech from New Financial Data Access Scheme
China Bans Livestreaming and AI in Religion Amid Crackdown on Shaolin Temple Scandal
×