Britain prepares for scorching weather as one of the hottest June days on record approaches, with a ‘killer’ heatwave bringing 34C temperatures on the opening day of Wimbledon

Britain is getting ready for an extremely hot start to the week due to a strong ‘heat dome’ causing temperatures to rise towards record-breaking levels. Forecasters are cautioning that today could potentially be one of the hottest June days ever recorded.

Tennis enthusiasts at Wimbledon are set to endure scorching conditions on the first day of the tournament, as temperatures are projected to reach a peak of 34C. This could potentially exceed the current opening day record of 29.3C established back in 2001.

Hundreds of spectators have already pitched tents outside the All England Club overnight in a bid to secure tickets.

The Met Office has issued an amber heat health alert for London, the East Midlands, the South East, the South West, and the East of England. This warning will be in effect until 6 pm on Tuesday.

The alert marks the second in two weeks and comes as much of southern and central England continues into a fourth consecutive day of extreme heat.

As the UKHSA has activated a five-day alert amid concerns that there could be ‘a rise in deaths, particularly among those ages 65 and over or with health conditions’. 

But Britain is not the only country melting in the June heat, with a ‘heat dome’ currently gripping large swathes of Europe and wreaking havoc. 

A second amber heat health alert in two weeks came into force on Friday.

The alert, which covers London, the East Midlands, the South East, the South West and the East of England, will last until 6pm on Tuesday.

A weather map shows that London and the southeast will experience the highest figures, with 31C expected in the Midlands and 28C in the northwest and west of the country. 

The toasty temperatures will threaten the UK’s June record of 35.6C – set in the famously hot summer of 1976.

Some fans have already been forced to abandon the queue the for Centre Court because of the heat, saying they will come back when it is cooler 

Emma Raducanu today leads the biggest contingent of British tennis stars to storm Wimbledon in over 40 years.

The UK No 1 is spearheading the nation’s hopes alongside Katie Boulter and Cameron Norrie, while UK men’s top seed Jack Draper kicks off his campaign tomorrow.

It is a bumper year for Britons with an army of 23 players taking over SW19 – the most to get through since 1984.

George Sandhu, Deputy Superintendent at Well Pharmacy, is urging elderly and vulnerable Brits to consider staying in the shade or indoors during the hottest hours of the day.

He said: ‘While many people will be out enjoying the warm weather, elderly and vulnerable Brits who are at greater risk because they can have less control over their exposure to the sun.

‘Overexposure to the sun can lead to people becoming seriously unwell through overheating, dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke.’

Tennis fans were given a shock this morning after being told to stay away from Wimbledon as it is already ‘at capacity’.

Earl’s Court tube station, a popular changeover point en route to Wimbledon, was packed with tennis fans who had flown in from all over the world.

But an announcement over the PA system quickly put a dampener on the excitement after it was revealed the grounds were already ‘at capacity’ before 9am.

Those who had opted for a slightly later lie-in faced disappointment then when they were told that non-ticket holders risk not getting in, or at best ‘several hours’ waiting in the queue with temperatures soaring for the rest of the day.

An update from Wimbledon’s official website on Monday read: ‘Please be aware that the Queue for Day 1 – Monday 30th June – is very busy and to avoid disappointment we strongly advise you not to travel to the Grounds today.’

On Sunday, firefighters mobilised in several European nations to tackle blazes as southern Europeans sought shelter from punishing temperatures of a heatwave that is set to intensify in the coming days. 

Fires broke out in France and Turkey Sunday, with other countries already on alert.

Authorities from Spain to Portugal, Italy and France urged people to seek shelter and protect the most vulnerable from the summer’s first major heatwave.

Ambulances stood on standby near tourist hotspots as experts warned that such heatwaves, intensified by climate change, would become more frequent.

In Turkey, forest fires broke out Sunday afternoon in the western Izmir province, fed by strong winds, local media reported.

In France, meanwhile, wildfires broke out in the Corbieres area of Aude in the southwest, where temperatures topped 40C, forcing the evacuation of a campsite and abbey as a precaution. 

The country’s weather service Meteo France put a record 84 out of its 101 regional departments on an orange heatwave alert – the second-highest – for Monday. 

Spain’s weather service AEMET said temperatures in Extremadura and Andalusia, in the south and southwest, had reached up to 44C Sunday and issued a special warning amid the heatwave.

Several areas in the southern half of Portugal, including Lisbon, are under a red warning until Monday night, said the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA). 

Two-thirds of Portugal was also on high alert Sunday for extreme heat and forest fires – as was the Italian island of Sicily, where firefighters tackled 15 blazes Saturday.

In Italy, 21 cities were on high alert for extreme heat, including Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence and Rome.

‘We were supposed to be visiting the Colosseum, but my mum nearly fainted,’ said British tourist Anna Becker, who had travelled to Rome from a ‘muggy, miserable’ Verona.

Hospital emergency departments across Italy have reported an uptick in heatstroke cases, according to Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine.

‘We’ve seen around a 10 percent increase, mainly in cities that not only have very high temperatures but also a higher humidity rate. It is mainly elderly people, cancer patients or homeless people, presenting with dehydration, heat stroke, fatigue,’ he said.

In Venice, authorities offered free guided tours for people over 75s in air-conditioned museums and public buildings.

Bologna has set up seven ‘climate shelters’ with air conditioning and drinking water, Florence has called on doctors to flag up the lonely and vulnerable, Ancona is delivering dehumidifiers to the needy, and Rome has offered free access to city swimming pools for those over 70. 

In Portugal, several areas in the southern half of the country, including the capital Lisbon, are under a red warning for heat until Monday night, according to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere. 

In France, experts warned that the heat was also severely impacting biodiversity.

‘With this stifling heat, the temperature can exceed 40 degrees in some nests,’ said Allain Bougrain-Dubourg, president of the League for the Protection of Birds.

‘We are taking in birds in difficulty everywhere; our seven care centres are saturated,’ he said.

It is also attracting invasive species, which are thriving in the more tropical climes.

The alert, which covered London, the East Midlands, South East, South West and East of England, will last until 6pm on Tuesday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also issued a yellow alert for Yorkshire and Humber and the West Midlands for the same time period, with the agency warning of significant impacts across health and social care services.

An amber alert was previously issued for all regions in England on June 19, the first time it had been used since September 2023. 

An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different parts of the UK.

London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Thomas Goodall said: ‘London is already facing its second heatwave of the year and we know that people will be looking forward to getting outside to enjoy the wonderful weather.

‘But the high temperatures and low rainfall in recent months means the current risk of wildfires is severe.

‘So far this year, firefighters have responded to around 14 wildfires in the capital.

‘There have also been countless call outs to smaller fires involving grass, trees and in other outdoor spaces, as well as in people’s gardens.

‘During this latest heatwave, it is important everyone acts responsibly to prevent fires from occurring.

‘As the weather has been so dry, it only takes a few sparks to lead to a fire spreading rapidly.

‘In London, this is can be dangerous because so many of our green spaces lie close to homes and other properties.’

There will be a ‘marked difference’ in north-western parts of the UK however, with cloud and heavy rain in parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland, where temperatures will stay in the mid to high teens, Mr Lenhert said.

The hottest ever July 1 on record was in 2015, when the temperature hit 36.7C.