We could see impacts to our infrastructure, our railway lines, our roads. They are not designed for this sort of heat.
A rare amber warning for “extreme heat” has come into force for a swathe of England as the UK could see the hottest day of the year so far.
Temperatures could reach 38C in some parts of England, in the fifth heatwave of what is on track to be a record hot summer – beating the previous record set only last year.
READ: Britain’s scorched fields mean a food crisis – and the government is ignoring the one measure that would help, by George Monbiot.
The amber warning by the Met Office for an area of England stretching from London to Sheffield, covering parts of the South East, East Midlands, East of England, West Midlands and South Yorkshire, is in place from 9am to midnight on Thursday.
Health
It comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a meeting of the British Government’s emergency Cobra committee on Wednesday in response to the prolonged spell of exceptionally hot and dry weather.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said: “Temperatures (in areas covered by the amber warning) could reach highs of around 36, 37, possibly 38C.
“Now when you get these sorts of high temperatures, well that’s when we could see impacts to our infrastructure, our railway lines, our roads, they are not designed for this sort of heat.
“And more people are likely to be impacted by how hot it is with regards to their health.”
He added: “It could be the hottest day of the year so far if we get above 38C, and if we get above 38.5C, well it could be the hottest August day on record, but that’s actually pretty unlikely.”
Strike
Bus drivers in London are set to go on strike over working conditions in the hot weather. The Unite union said more than 1,500 Arriva North London bus drivers were taking industrial action on Friday and multiple other days, over concerns the company is not taking the issue seriously.
Most buses operated by Arriva North London have air cooling systems, which only manage to reduce temperatures by around two or three degrees Celsius rather than more effective air conditioning, the union said.
This means buses are still extremely hot for drivers and passengers, leading to health problems in the sweltering conditions.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “No worker should be made ill by their job. This problem is raised year after year and as the summers get hotter it can no longer be swept under the carpet.
“Arriva can afford to act on this serious issue, which puts both drivers and the general public at risk, and it must make this a priority.”
Wildfires
The highest temperature of the year was 38C recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on June 28, amid a deadly heatwave which prompted a rare red warning for extreme heat.
We could see impacts to our infrastructure, our railway lines, our roads. They are not designed for this sort of heat.
The UK is facing increasingly extreme conditions such as heatwaves, drought and wildfires fuelled by climate change, which is mostly driven by greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels for power plants, vehicles, heating and industry.
Baroness Brown, who chairs the independent advisory Climate Change Committee’s adaptation work, warned it “gets worse from here” until greenhouse gas emissions are cut to zero overall, known as net zero.
With record dry conditions in July and a dry start to August, nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, heaping pressure on water resources for households, agriculture and the environment.
And England and Wales have already seen as many wildfires this year as in the whole of 2025.
Barbecues
Some 1,017 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the same as last year’s record-breaking total.
Crews from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service have continued battling a blaze which hit protected heathland in the New Forest after a van caught fire on the A31 near Ringwood on Sunday.
In an update on Wednesday evening, the fire service said crews expect to be at the scene for at least another three to four days.
Most major UK supermarkets have stopped sales of disposable barbecues in recent weeks in line with voluntary guidance from the NFCC.
Mr Burnham has urged all shops to stop selling them and indicated that an outright ban could be considered in future summers.
Cancellations
The prime minister also said that there had been a “significant number of excess deaths from heat this summer already” and urged the public to follow health advice, including checking in on elderly friends and relatives.
Two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June led to more than 2,800 excess deaths.
The Royal College of Nursing has warned that nurses are collapsing at work and are being forced to care for patients in temperatures in excess of 30C.
Others have reported seizures and “dripping with sweat from head to toe”, and nurses have said patients are being cared for in hospitals which have been described as “unbearably hot” and “not fit for humans”.
Meanwhile, Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Railway have issued alerts to “only travel if essential”. Other operators will either run a reduced timetable or are warning about the potential for short-notice cancellations.
These Authors
Emily Beament and Ted Hennessey are reporters at the Press Association.
