Level 3 heat alert

[RBWM Press Release]

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Met Office have issued a Level Three Heat alert for the South East, which is due to start on Monday (11 July) and finish at 9am on Friday 15 July.

A Level Three warning is triggered when the threshold temperature – for the South East it’s 31 degrees daytime/16 degrees night-time - will be reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the following day has more than a 90% chance of again meeting that threshold.

Please look out for others, especially older people, young children, babies and those with underlying health conditions. Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler - remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors. Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol, dress appropriately for the weather and slow down.

For advice on staying safe in hot weather visit the Government’s pages on staying safe in hot weather https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heatwave-plan-for-england/beat-the-heat-staying-safe-in-hot-weather 
and keeping cool at home, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/heatwave-plan-for-england/beat-the-heat-keep-cool-at-home-checklist
and the NHS guide to coping in hot weather. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/seasonal-health/heatwave-how-to-cope-in-hot-weather/

Please also remember to be safe around water. During warmer weather, it can be tempting to jump into cold water to help you cool off, but water temperatures are still dangerously cold and can quite literally take your breath away. If you get into trouble in the water, remember to stay calm, lean back and use your arms and legs to help you float, and control your breathing.

For more tips on summer water safety, please visit the Royal Lifesaving Society Website.  https://www.rlss.org.uk/summer-water-safety

[Cookham Webmaster]

A statement from SCAS said: "A Level 3 Heat Health Alert is in place across our region from 9am today until 9am on Friday with temperatures expected to peak in the low 30s.

"Look out for others, especially older people, young children, babies & those with underlying health conditions. Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors in the shade than indoors.

"Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol. Dress appropriately for the weather. Avoid exercising in the hottest part of the day (usually between 11am-3pm)."

Meanwhile, the council is warning people not to swim in the rivers during this heatwave. Slough Borough Council issued a statement online: "Don't be tempted to swim in the Jubilee River during this hot weather. Even if you can swim well, there is a cold water shock risk. Please continue to be water aware."

[Cookham Webmaster]

Ministers are drawing up plans for Britain's first national heatwave emergency response following a Met Office 'amber heat warning', despite critics claims that bureaucrats are guilty of alarmism and Whitehall 'snowflakes are melting' in the heat.

A Cobra meeting was held at Downing Street yesterday, after the Met Office issued a rare amber warning for deadly heat across most of England this Sunday when temperatures could hit 100F (38C), The Telegraph reported.

The alert, which has only been issued twice before now, warns of 'potential serious illness or danger to life' as record-breaking temperatures are predicted to hit the country.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) may declare a national emergency with a 'level four emergency' if the heat becomes so extreme that 'illness and death may occur among the fit and healthy' as well as those more vulnerable.

'There's a possibility of a level four heatwave,' a UKHSA spokesman told The Telegraph. 'If it gets above 104F (40C), then it is likely to be a level four heatwave for the first time.'

This level of emergency also points to food supplies being hit, disruption to roads and trains, schools shutting and nuclear power plants being out of action, as people are told to only call 999 in an emergency.

Footage captured yesterday showed a field of crops ablaze outside Ripon, North Yorkshire, as people were urged to avoid the area.

Meteorologists have warned that 'exceptionally high temperatures are possible from Sunday' and 'could lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure', with major disruption to road transport, railways and flights expected.