Heat of 40C (104F) is life threatening and not just for the vulnerable. Healthy people who don’t care are also at risk, government health officials warned Friday. So, cut back on the caffeine and alcohol, draw the curtains, drink water, and stay indoors during the hottest parts of the day. Importantly, don’t assume that the air outside is cooler than inside. But above all, check that people living alone or in potentially hot and stuffy rooms are safe. “Heat kills much faster than cold,” said Bob Ward, director of policy at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment. Public health officials appear overwhelmed by forecasts of 40C in London on Tuesday, along with 38C in the east of England and 37C in the Midlands. In Friday’s updates, they used phrases like “violent” and spoke of the “gravity of the situation,” as well as repeatedly saying “unprecedented.” The heat is likely to rise fastest in East Anglia and Lincolnshire first, where the chance of reaching 40C will be highest on Monday. But it is the prospect of up to 48 hours of extreme heat that is causing the most concern. Forecasters say a heatwave in the UK usually peaks for a day and then breaks, often with thunder. But this time temperatures will stay high overnight and then rise again. Record minimum temperatures are also forecast, with a possible 24C in London and there is a good chance the mercury will not drop below 25C in London and the North West on Monday night. This means more stress on the body for a longer period of time. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST As our bodies try to cope, problems will include dehydration, loss of salts through sweating and heat exhaustion. there may be health problems such as swollen ankles as blood vessels leak: blood pressure may drop and people may pass out – the body’s way of becoming prone so it can focus on providing resources to vital organs. and then there’s heatstroke, a medical emergency when the body’s core temperature rises. Drinking water, splashing water on the skin and seeking cool temperatures – for example in public buildings – are among the UK’s Health Organisation’s advice. The government is not ordering a general school closure because it says there is no public health reason to do so. In fact, schools and offices can be cooler than people’s homes. The heat will pass, but any reprieve may be temporary. Forecasters are already eyeing patterns showing rising temperatures around the Mediterranean in August which have a similar potential to push northwards into the UK, bringing an increased chance of more very high heat. “This is a wake-up call on climate change,” said Professor Hannah Cloke, a climate expert and lecturer in natural hazards at the University of Reading. “We’re going to see these hot summers get worse, but we can stop them from getting very, very bad if we do something now. This cannot be reversed. We are caught up in climate change and we have to figure out what to do about it.”
