Amber and yellow heat health alerts are now in force across much of England, with temperatures expected to reach 34C in some areas. The alerts, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), cover large parts of the country through to 0900 BST on Wednesday 5 August and warn of significant disruption to health and social care services.
The amber alerts cover London, the South East, the East of England and the East Midlands. They warn that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services because of the high temperatures, including a rise in deaths, particularly among vulnerable people.
Less severe yellow heat heat alerts have also been issued for the same period for the North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, West Midlands and the South West. The North East is currently the only English region without a heat health alert.
The updated warnings replace those issued during last week's heatwave and reflect a fresh spell of potentially hazardous temperatures expected to affect millions across the country.
How hot will it get on Monday?
Monday is expected to bring the hottest weather of the week, with a surge of hot air moving north from France ahead of an approaching Atlantic low-pressure system. Southern and eastern parts of England will widely reach low to mid-30sC, with a few locations across London and the Home Counties likely to reach 34C.
Much of the Midlands, East Anglia and southern England will see temperatures reach around 30C or above, while eastern parts of Wales will also experience unusually hot conditions. Scotland, Northern Ireland and western Britain will experience cloudier skies with outbreaks of rain as low pressure slowly moves across Ireland.
Overnight into Tuesday, rain in northern and western areas is expected to become locally heavy and thundery. Further south, most places will stay dry, warm and humid, although a few thunderstorms could develop across south-east England.
What is the weather expected to do on Tuesday?
By Tuesday the low-pressure system will drift slowly north-eastwards, bringing another day of wet weather to northern parts of the UK. Scotland is expected to bear the brunt of the rainfall once again, with prolonged heavy rain raising the risk of localised surface water flooding.
While some rain may spread into southern Britain, it is expected to be relatively light and patchy. The hottest conditions will become confined to eastern England, where temperatures could still reach the low 30s Celsius, particularly across East Anglia and London.
Elsewhere across southern England and the Midlands, temperatures will ease back into the mid to high 20s Celsius, several degrees lower than Monday.
When will it cool down?
A weak, cold front will bring cooler Atlantic air from midweek, ending the brief heat. Scotland and Northern Ireland will see further heavy rain, while southern England stays warmer and mostly dry before more settled weather returns later in the week.
However, little rain is expected in the drought-hit south, with any showers unlikely to provide meaningful relief after one of England's driest Julys on record.
What is the outlook for August?
Looking beyond this week's brief heat spike, August is expected to remain predominantly warm, dry and above average in temperature. Although occasional showers and thunderstorms are likely, particularly in northern parts of the UK, the overall pattern favours further settled weather, especially across southern England, meaning drought conditions are likely to persist despite isolated bursts of rainfall.
The details of the longer-range forecast do look rather uncertain so it is worth keeping up to date with full local forecasts on the BBC Weather website and app.
Get in touch
How are you dealing with this latest heatwave? Let us know.
Second half of summer to bring chances for rain but heatwave threat persists
Are 'heat spikes' becoming more common?
Has the British summer changed beyond recognition?
