West Country heat warning as temperatures soar
PATemperatures could reach more than 30C (86F) in some parts of the West of England this bank holiday weekend, as a heatwave could be declared.
A yellow heat-related health alert has been issued for the South West until Wednesday at 17:00 BST.
Temperatures are set to climb steadily throughout the weekend, with Gloucestershire and Bristol expected to see the mercury peak at 31C (87.8F) by Monday.
The warmer weather will also coincide with a number of the region's festivals and outdoor events. Love Saves the Day, Shindig, and Good Times Festival are all taking place, while Gloucester's famous Cooper's Hill cheese rolling event is happening on Monday.
Nationally, there's a prospect of May high temperature records being broken.
Usually, we would see daytime highs of about 17C (62F) in the West at this stage of May.
The UK Health Security Agency is advising people to stay out of direct sunlight between 11:00 and 15:00 BST when UV rays are strongest, and to re-apply sunscreen regularly.
Yellow health alerts have been issued for Yorkshire and Humber and the north-west and south-west of England. This means adversely hot weather could cause issues for vulnerable people.
Meanwhile, the south-east, the Midlands and London have all been issued with an amber warning.
An amber alert is declared when weather conditions could affect the whole population or the NHS, with travel disruption likely.
Is it a heatwave?
The threshold for a UK heatwave is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days of maximum temperatures.
But the threshold varies by UK county.
The Met Office said heatwaves were likely to be reached in parts of the UK from Sunday, most likely in south-east England.
There is currently no such health alert in the south-west. However, according to the Met Office's forecast, temperatures in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset are set to remain above 28C (82F) for four consecutive days.
Why is it getting warmer?
Warm air has been travelling in from the south, where it has heated-up passing across parts of Iberia and France.
By Bank Holiday Monday, we will also be significantly warmed by a combination of high pressure compressing the subsiding air above us, and also the effects of strong and plentiful sunshine.
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