TOMORROW could be one of the hottest days on record, the Met Office has said.
Temperatures in some parts of the south east could hit 34C.
The forecaster said a heatwave is building across southern and eastern areas, with "exceptionally high temperatures" continuing into the start of next week.
And with temperatures forecast to hit 38C in some parts of the country, there is a chance of getting close to the hottest August day on record.
The current hottest August day is 38.5C, reached in Faversham on August 10, 2003.
The current record maximum temperature for the UK is 38.7, reached in Cambridge Botanic Garden on July 25, 2019.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Dan Suri, said: "Although much of the UK can expect a spell of warm and sunny weather lasting into early next week, it’s going to turn very hot for parts of England and Wales with temperatures widely reaching above 30C on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"Met Office heatwave criteria will be reached over southeast England.
"Tomorrow (Friday) is likely to be the hottest day with temperatures of 34C in parts of southeast England.
"It’s possible temperatures could reach similar levels on Saturday, before falling slightly on Sunday."
Health Alert
The Met Office has issued a health warning ahead of this weekend.
The forecaster had previously issued a Heat Health alert Level Two warning - but this has now been raised to three for the south east.
The 'Amber' level three warning urges people take 'heatwave action' and is triggered when the Met Office confirms threshold temperatures for one of more regions have been reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the next day has a greater than 90 per cent confidence level that the day threshold temperature will be met.
"This stage requires social and healthcare services to target specific actions at high-risk groups," says the Met Office.
Health authorities are encouraging those most vulnerable – many of whom have been shielding during the lockdown – to protect themselves amid the “exceptionally hot weather forecast this week”.
Public Health England (PHE) said older people, those with underlying health conditions, and very young children were all more at risk from the higher temperatures.
People have been advised to keep cool and stay hydrated where possible.
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".
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