After a brief break of cooler weather, Britain is once again bracing for another surge of heat — marking the country’s third heat wave of the year.

While the heat may not reach the extreme highs seen earlier this summer, the latest spell is expected to be more prolonged and widespread.

Jason Kelly, a chief meteorologist at the United Kingdom’s Met Office, warned of temperatures up to 31 degrees Celsius (about 88 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday and 32 Celsius (nearly 90 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday in parts of England and Wales.

According to the Met Office, an official heat wave in Britain is defined as three consecutive days during which temperatures reach or exceed a location-specific threshold. In the north and west, including Scotland and Northern Ireland, the threshold is 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit); in London and the nearby surrounding counties it is 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit).

In the coming days, the Met Office said, most of England, eastern Scotland and eastern Northern Ireland are likely to meet the official heat wave criteria, and regions that fall short of their threshold will still experience above-average temperatures.

The U.K. Health Security Agency issued yellow heat health alerts — its lowest warning level — for all counties in England through Tuesday. The agency warned for the potential of severe impacts across health and social care services, including an increased risk to life across the whole population, especially for older people.

See temperatures as...

f° c°

Where the forecast temperatures for Thursday were unusually hot

Degrees above or below average for July 10

0 °F

+5 °F

+10 °F

+15 °F

Sources: University of Maine Climate Change Institute and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System

Notes: Forecasts are for 8 p.m. Eastern on July 9, 2025, to 8 p.m. on July 10, 2025. Averages based on data from 1979 to 2000.

By Lazaro Gamio and Zach Levitt

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