UK weather: Amber heat health alerts in place as temperatures set to soar above 30C
Amber heat health alerts are issued when high temperatures are likely to have a significant impact on health and social care services.
They suggest there is likely to be an increase in deaths, especially among those aged over 65 or with long-term health conditions.
Friday is expected to be the first very hot day. Temperatures in East Anglia are forecast to potentially reach 32C, according to the Met Office.
It will be a different story for Scotland and Northern Ireland with outbreaks of heavy rain.
Some wet weather will also affect parts of northern England and Wales and temperatures here will reach around 17-24C (63-75F), closer to the seasonal average.
Saturday will be less hot overall, but temperatures are expected to rise again on Sunday and Monday.
Sunny spells are likely but the heat may also spawn a few big thunderstorms.
There is uncertainty about the forecast into the middle of next week but many computer weather models allow heat to linger, especially in the south.
It is likely that some places will reach their official heatwave criteria – three consecutive days of temperatures above a threshold, which varies from 25 to 28C (77-82F) across different parts of the UK.
