A heat health alert has been issued for large parts of the UK as the country could see record June temperatures this week.
The Met Office said a level two alert has been issued for a large part of southern and central England, with a lower level one alert in place for northern England.
The alert scale – which has four levels – is designed to help healthcare workers manage through periods of extreme temperatures.
Forecasters have said some parts of England may experience a heatwave later this week, with hot air over Spain, Portugal and France drifting further north over the next few days.
Sky News weather producer Joanna Robinson said: “It will turn very warm for most, hot in parts of central and southern England from Wednesday, with temperatures likely to peak on Friday.
“A high of 34C (93F) is possible somewhere in southeast England – the last time we reached that value was back in August 2020.
“There’s a small chance we could reach or exceed the June UK record of 35.6C (96F), which was recorded at Southampton’s Mayflower Park back in 1976.”
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The heat health alert service helps health authorities prepare for extremely hot weather in England between June and September.
The UK Health and Security Agency issues the alerts and there are four levels. There is also level zero for long-term planning to reduce the risks from heatwave.
Level one (green) – the minimum state of vigilance during the summer months.
Level two (yellow) – this is triggered when there is a 60% or higher risk of threshold temperatures being reached in one or more regions on at least two consecutive days and the intervening night. Social and healthcare services should prepare for swift action to reduce harm from a potential heatwave.
Level three (amber) – heatwave action: this is triggered when the Met Office confirms threshold temperatures for one or more regions have been reached for a day and a night and the forecast predicts 90% or higher risk of the threshold temperature being met the following day.
Level 4 (Red) – national emergency: this is when a heatwave is so severe or prolonged that it could result in illness or death of fit and healthy people – not just at-risk groups.
If the temperature predictions are accurate, parts of the South East will be hotter than Portugal, Jamaica, Costa Rica, the Canary Islands and Cyprus.
The mercury could rise to 25C in Wales and the South West on Friday, 28C in the North West and 27C in the North East.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Rudman said the temperature predictions were unusual for this time of year.
He said: “Many areas will also see some warm nights with minimum temperatures expected to be in the high teens or even low 20Cs for some overnight.”
The highest temperature reached in the UK so far this year was 27.5C (81.5F) at Heathrow on 17 May.
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A heatwave is defined as three consecutive days of with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold.
An Environment Agency spokesperson said there is a low-risk of drought but warned further hot, dry weather could put pressure on some areas.
The British Red Cross has encouraged people to protect themselves and to check in with vulnerable friends, family and neighbours during the soaring temperatures.
Meanwhile, animal charities have warned pet owners about the dangers of hot weather affecting animals ahead of the spike in temperatures this week.
The RSPCA is urging dog owners to be aware of the dangers of walking their pets – especially ones with thick coats and underlying health conditions – during the warmer seasons.
The Blue Cross urged cat owners to be careful when leaving windows open after a kitten fell from three storeys and fractured her leg.
Elsewhere in Europe, Spain is experiencing its earliest heatwave in more than 40 years, with temperatures surpassing 40C (104F) in central and southern parts of the country.
