THE British summer is serving up a treat this week in the form of a sizzling heatwave.

Brighton residents will be able to bask in 29C heat today, topping the 27C highs offered by Ibiza.

While people across the country have had holidays scrapped as the coronavirus crisis grounded flights and halted all travel, the weather will provide the perfect setting for a staycation.

Brighton will have its highest temperature of 29C between 4pm and 6pm today with clear skies likely to last until Friday.

The Argus:

The mercury is not expected to drop below 20C from 7am onwards today.

Temperatures will not fall until the early hours of Friday morning, the Met Office has said.

The weather will then remain hot, though not to the same extent, throughout the day with highs of 23C, before easing off to between 15C and 18C over the weekend.

There is also a small chance of  rain on Friday afternoon at 1pm and on Sunday morning at 10am.

But, with the impending heatwave on the horizon, the Met Office has reminded people that it is not all fun in the sun.

The Argus:

As a result of the scorching conditions, the weather service has issued a level two heat health warning across the entire country amid concerns the heat could be dangerous for “the very young, very old or those with chronic disease”.

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.

The Argus:

The alert will be in place from 9am today until 9pm on Friday, with the Met Office saying there is an 80 per cent chance of heatwave conditions in this time.

It defined these 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”.

As a result, West Sussex County Council has issued advice to residents on how to cope with the conditions and “reduce health risks”.

The Argus:

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.