Major heat health warning issued in Liverpool as temperatures soar to 30°C

A Government-issued heat-health alert has been escalated as temperatures reach 30°C across the country.

The amber warning, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covers all of the country’s nine regions - including the whole of the North West.

The serious alert is in force from 12.00pm today (Thursday, June 19) until 9.00am on Monday (June 23), with the UKHSA warning that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures.

The UKHSA says this could include a rise in deaths, particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions. There may also be impacts on younger age groups and there could be issues managing medicines.

Other possible impacts include internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) exceeding recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment, the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services and travel delays.

Liverpool and Manchester are expected to see temperatures over 30°C on Friday and Saturday, while Lancashire will hover around 30°C.

The Met Office is also warning that heatwaves could become longer and hotter due to escalating climate trends, with a new study revealing that the chance of exceeding 40°C in the UK is accelerating at pace.

In summer 2022, record-breaking temperatures of more than 40°C were recorded at several locations across the UK.

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Dr Gillian Kay, Senior Scientist at the Met Office, and lead author explains: "The chance of exceeding 40°C has been rapidly increasing, and it is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s.

“Because our climate continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising. We estimate a 50-50 chance of seeing a 40°C day again in the next 12 years. We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today’s climate.”