You may have noticed, but it has been getting hotter. And hotter, and hotter.
The heatwave of 2022 may feel like a hazy memory now, but as summer 20023 kicks, off, there have already been reports from the Met Office forecasting even more hot weather, and sweat-inducing heatwaves.
The UK experienced a record-breaking high temperature of 40°C in July, along with dangerous wildfires, and very little rainfall leading to the driest July for over 110 years.
With more hot weather on the way, the Met Office has launched a new alert system to help people in England better prepare for heatwaves as and when they come.
But how does this new hot weather warning system work? Here’s everything you need to know…
What is the new heatwave alert system? Colour warnings explained
The new system – officially called the Heat-Health Alerting system – has been made has been created by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in partnership with the Met Office.
It has been designed specifically to inform and give advice on the health impacts that high temperatures could have on the population.
The alerts will provide information on what the weather conditions are expected to be, an outline of the impact expected, and an overview of the impact on your specific region.
Similarly to the Met Office’s current warning system, UKHSA alerts will be given a colour based on the combination of the impact the weather conditions could have, and the likelihood of those impacts being reached.
The four colours and alerts are:
- Green (preparedness): No alert will be issued as the conditions are likely to have minimal impact on health; business as usual and summer/winter planning and preparedness activities.
- Yellow (response): these alerts cover a range of situations; yellow alerts may be issued during periods of heat/cold which would be unlikely to impact most people but could impact those who are particularly vulnerable.
- Amber (enhanced response): This alert indicates that weather impacts are likely to be felt across the whole health service, and at this level, we may begin to see some health impacts across the wider population, not just the most vulnerable; non-health sectors may also start to observe impacts and a more significant coordinated response may be required.
- Red (emergency response): This indicates a significant risk to life for even the healthy population; severe impacts would be expected across all sectors with a coordinated response essential.
It will issue forecasts for five days, six to 15 days, and 16 to 30 days ahead.
On the announcement of the new system. Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said: ‘Our heat-health alerting system plays a vital role in notifying professionals and the public of forecasted high temperatures that can affect the health of those most at risk, particularly individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.
‘Last year saw record high temperatures across England and evidence shows that heatwaves are likely to occur more often, be more intense and last longer in the years and decades ahead. It is important we are able to quantify the likely impacts of these heatwaves before they arrive to prevent illness and reduce the number of deaths.’
How to sign up for the Heat-Health Alerting system
You can sign up to receive all the UKHSA and Met Office’s weather-health alerts by heading over to this website.
You will be able to specify which region you wish to receive alerts for, with the ability to be notified for one region only or multiple regions as required.
Signing up will mean you will receive alerts from both the Heat-Health alerts system (HHA) and the Cold-Health Alerts system (CHA)
The HHA system’s season started on June 1 and will run until September 15, while the CHA season runs from November 1 to March 31.
For more information on the new HHA system, please visit the government website.
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