The heatwave continues to grip South East England, with an extended amber warning from the Met Office until 09:00 BST on Sunday. For residents in the region, it's another hot and humid night ahead before cooler air is expected to bring relief.
Temperatures in the South East and East Anglia soared into the high 20s and low 30s Celsius once again on Saturday, prolonging the intense heat that has engulfed much of the UK. The Met Office chief forecaster, Andy Page, notes that while the region will retain warmth for longest, peak temperatures are now more likely to reach only low 30s Celsius.
The prolonged amber warning follows a rare three-day red heat warning that concluded on Friday evening. The extreme weather has already broken records, with Friday confirmed by the Met Office as the hottest June day on record for the UK, with temperatures reaching 36C in some areas.
Disruption to daily life has been significant, including advice to avoid non-essential travel due to road and rail congestion. Several schools and nurseries were forced to close, and South East Water implemented a hosepipe ban for its customers in Kent.
Travel woes are set to continue on Sunday morning, with hundreds of flights at Gatwick and London Heathrow expected to be delayed after thunderstorms caused disruption on Saturday.