Heatwave conditions forecast as health alert issued

Somerset is facing another heatwave in the coming days, with temperatures set to jump to highs of 28C.

To meet the definition of a heatwave, the mercury will have to rise above 26C for three consecutive days or more.

This threshold is set to be breached every day in Somerset from Sunday to Friday, but it will be nowhere near as hot as late-June when Merryfield, in the south of the county, set a new UK June temperature record of 36.7C.

The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow heat-health alert for Somerset and other parts of the UK from 12:00 BST on Sunday until 20:00 on 11 July, meaning there is greater risk to the lives of vulnerable people.

The alert warns there is likely to be higher use of healthcare services by vulnerable people, indoor environments may become very warm, while water-related deaths, including from cold-water shock and drowning, may increase.

BBC meteorologist Linda Ludlow said Somerset would start to see heatwave conditions over the weekend, while counties in the far south-west were more likely to meet heatwave conditions from Wednesday.

"The dry weather will continue thanks to high pressure which remains dominant until the start of the following week," she said.

"This heatwave won't be as hot as the previous one two weeks ago though, as the wind is not drawing in from the continent."

Meteorologists warn summer heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more severe due to climate change.

The world's 11 warmest years since records began have all occurred since 2015. While natural weather patterns have contributed, scientists warn human-driven climate change is the primary factor pushing temperatures to extremes.

Our widespread use of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These gases act like a blanket, trapping extra energy and causing the planet to heat up.

Akshay Deoras, senior research scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, said climate change "has provided the springboard" for successive heatwaves.

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