London temperatures are set to be hotter than Athens, Malaga and Venice – hitting heatwave highs of 31 degrees in the next week, according to the Met Office.
In the run-up to the late May bank holiday, London is set to have a long, hot, sunny spell with temperatures from Friday to Tuesday varying between 27 and 31 with the potential of an increase.
In a Met Office Press Release, Deputy Chief Forecaster, Greg Wolverson, said: “A very warm period of weather will develop through the weekend and into next week for much of the UK.
“High pressure will be in charge of the UK’s weather over the bank holiday weekend and this should bring fine and settled conditions to most areas.
“Heatwave thresholds – defined as three consecutive days at or above a set temperature – are likely to be reached in parts of the UK from Sunday, most likely in southeastern England.
“Into next week, these conditions are expected to become more widespread, extending across central and western England and into parts of Wales, as temperatures remain well above average.”
In the Met Office’s weekly YouTube forecast, Meteorologist and Presenter Aidan McGivern laid out both the science and the numbers.
He touched on overnight temperatures too, stating that if the Saturday the overnight temperature hits 19 degrees in London – which it is predicted to – it would be the warmest May night on record.
He said: “Many parts of the country this Monday are experiencing a lot of fine weather compared with May so far, so we can’t really be too disappointed with that.”
With temperatures getting hotter and the risk for heat stroke, heat-related injuries, and illnesses increasing, the Londoners spoke to Sharon Tynan, the Campaigns Engagement Officer for Age UK London.
She said: “The humidity can really be a health risk.
“Be careful for how long you stay outside, as heat exhaustion can lead to heat stroke.”
Age UK London and Nationwide provide key services to the elderly population, including advice, support networks and community.
She relayed her advice not only to the elderly population but also generally.
She added: “We always advise people in the winter to layer up with lots of thin layers as opposed to one big heavy jumper, but definitely in this heat to wear sort of light coloured clothes, rather than dark coloured clothes, which attract more heat.”
She stated the importance of vitamin D, but also being in the sun responsibly, using suncream, drinking water often, keeping houses cool via ventilation and darkness and maintaining an eye on any alarming symptoms of heatstroke.
She said: “People don’t think about heat exhaustion.
“The symptoms sometimes can be, headaches, dizziness, feeling a bit sick, or your pulse might get a bit quicker.”
And in terms of advice to tackle the heat, she adds: “Lying down in a cooler room, drinking plenty of liquids and slowing down.”
Age UK’s schemes for tackling isolation and loneliness also specifically touch on elderly people being recommended to stay inside due to the heat.
She warned: “The other thing that’s not good is when it’s very hot, we’re telling people to stay indoors.
“You’re not chatting or out and about with people, so that loneliness and isolation aren’t a great thing either.
“But with the local London Age UK befriending schemes that go on – they’ll definitely be getting health checks – and their befriender will be knocking them up and going ‘Are you okay?’, ‘Everything alright?’
“So again it’s just about having that connectivity.”
Age UK has multiple resources on their London website and nationwide website, as well as collaborating with NHS in online and in-person events for keeping healthy in spring and summer and as the days get hotter for longer.
However, combining bank holidays and warm weather in London also comes with more spending, more country-wide travelling and more tourism.
Eddy Leviten, the Executive Director of Tourism Alliance, told the Met Office: “Tourism supports 2.4 million jobs across every region and nation of the UK, and a sunny Bank Holiday makes a real difference to the businesses that depend on visitor spend.
“A warmer, drier weekend should mean busier attractions, fuller hotels, more visitors at heritage sites and coastal resorts, and a welcome boost for towns and cities right across the country.”
Feature Image Credit: Samuel Addington via Pexels
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