UK weather: Amber warnings issued as UK to have scorching Thursday

A rare amber warning for extreme heat is in force in parts of England on Thursday, as temperatures could reach 37C or even 38C in a few places.

The Met Office warning runs from 9am until midnight and covers parts of eastern England, London and the South East, the Midlands, and parts of Yorkshire and Humber.

An amber warning means the weather could be dangerous for some people and may also cause problems for travel, because the very hot temperatures can affect trains and roads.

That warning is alongside an amber heat-health alert - issued by the UK Health Security Agency - that is already in place across all of England until Friday evening.

These alerts are mainly for places like hospitals, care homes and councils, so they can prepare for more people needing help. Older people and people with health conditions are most at risk, but the advice is that everyone should be careful in extreme heat.

BBC Weather's Helen Willetts says there could be "a few tropical nights", when temperatures do not fall below 20C at nighttime.

This matters because cooler nights help people cool down after a hot day.

The heat is expected to ease by the weekend, although temperatures may still be near or slightly above normal for mid-August.

There are likely to be long-standing temperature records broken over the coming days, says BBC Weather's Helen Willetts, "adding to a long list of records already set this year.

"Wednesday became the first day in August to reach 35C or more, making it the 4th consecutive month to reach this temperature.

"If temperatures reach 36C or higher, 2026 will become the first year on record to register four separate days at or above that threshold.

"Currently the hottest August day on record stands at 38.5C, recorded in 2003."