I am sure we've all noticed the increasingly hot weather since the beginning of June. This is to be expected in the summer months, however, which temperatures would we exactly call 'normal' for any given here in the UK?
The Met Office - which is the UK's national weather service - has issued many warnings, due to higher expected temperatures. These days have been variable in temperature, however none have been a serious enough cause for concern to raise a red alert.
What are the Alerts?
The Met Office has 4 levels of alerts, 'Green' which essentially means there isn't any danger however we should be ready to respond to any updates if a more severe alert is issued. 'Yellow (Response)' means that most people would not be affected by the weather event however the particularly vulnerable like the elderly are at risk. 'Amber (Enhanced Response)' means there will likely be significant impacts on the health service and potential for the 'whole population to be at risk' says the Met Office. 'Red (emergency response)' Alerts would mean there are likely significant impacts to all businesses and sectors. This may require special action such as closing schools, etc.
What is the danger?
Some key health impacts of heat are:
Rapid rises in heat gain due to exposure to hotter-than-average conditions compromise the body’s ability to regulate temperature and can result in illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia.
Deaths and hospitalizations from heat can occur extremely rapidly or have a lagged effect and result in accelerating death or illness in the frail, particularly observed in the first days of heatwaves. Even small differences from seasonal average temperatures are associated with increased illness and death. Temperature extremes can also worsen chronic conditions, including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular disease and diabetes-related conditions.
Heat also has important indirect health effects. Heat conditions can alter human behaviour, the transmission of diseases, health service delivery, air quality, and critical social infrastructure such as energy, transport, and water.
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