Weather: Health warning as 28C heatwave set to blast Sussex

Temperatures in Brighton and Hove are expected to reach 28C with clear blue skies covering the city until Friday.

The height of the heat is predicted to hit between 3pm and 6pm tomorrow, as well as at 4pm on Thursday.

The Met Office issued a level two heat health warning across the entire country on Monday amid concerns the sweltering heat could be dangerous for "the very young, very old or those with chronic disease".

Read more>>>Day by day forecast for Brighton and Hove this week

The weather service said there is an 80 per cent chance of "heatwave conditions" between 9am tomorrow and 9pm on Friday.

A spokesman said: "Temperatures are expected to climb significantly this week, with good confidence for a period of hot weather between Wednesday and Friday.

"Temperatures exceeding 30C are expected quite widely, especially in central, southern and east England, although most coasts will be less hot.

"(We predict) fine, sunny conditions on Wednesday, with a chance of isolated thunderstorms in the far north.

"Thursday will be similar, but with a greater risk of thunderstorms breaking out in parts of the north and west later.

"Friday may see a more general risk of thunderstorms across England.

"A transition back to fresher, more changeable weather currently looks likely over next weekend, although there is uncertainty in the detail at present.

"An update will be issued when the alert level changes in any region."

A level two, or yellow warning, asks people to be "alert and ready" to take precautions to prevent any ill health from the spike in temperature.

Ahead of the impending heatwave, West Sussex County Council has issued advice to residents on how to cope with the conditions and "reduce health risks".

They asked people to "shut windows and pull down the shades when it is hotter outside," saying they could "open them for ventilation when it is cooler".

Further precautions included staying out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, keeping rooms cool by using shade and, having cool baths and showers.

The council also urged people to wear loose, cool clothing, check on their friends and relative and drink cold drinks regularly - avoiding tea, coffee and alcohol.

What is a heatwave?

The Met Office defines a heatwave as "an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity".

A spokesman continued: "A UK heatwave threshold is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold. The threshold varies by UK county.

"This is somewhat different to the heat-health watch service, which is primarily for health and social care professionals and emergency planners to take preparatory action when conditions are potentially posing a significant threat to health.

"It has certain trigger thresholds depending on the region. Public Health England provides a Heat-Health Watch service for England.

"The Heat-Health Watch alerts are part of that wider service, which is detailed in the multi-agency Heatwave Plan for England.

"The Heat-Health Watch service has five response levels (Level 0 – 4) based upon threshold maximum daytime and minimum night-time temperatures.

"Each alert level should trigger a series of actions which are detailed in the Heatwave Plan for England, from long-term planning out of season, to summer and heatwave preparedness and action, to a major national emergency."

• Level zero: Long-term planning to reduce risk from heatwaves and includes year-round joint working to reduce the impact of climate change and ensure maximum adaptation to reduce harm from heatwaves.
• Level one: This is in place every year from June 1 until September 15, which is the period that Heat-Health Watch alerts are likely to be issued. This alert level simply means that people should be aware of what to do if the alert level is raised.
• Level two: Issued when there is a high chance that the threshold will be exceeded within the next few days.
• Level three: Issued when the Heat-Health Watch alert thresholds have been exceeded.
• Level four: Issued when a prolonged hot spell becomes severe.