Amber heat health alerts in place as temperatures set to soar above 30C

Amber heat health alerts are in place across southern and eastern England, with a heatwave set to develop in the coming days.

Temperatures are set to climb above 30C (86F) on Friday, possibily up to 32C (90F) in south-east England, and potentially up to 34C (93F) or higher by Tuesday.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber alerts covering the east, south-east and south-west of England, which are valid until 20:00 BST on Tuesday.

Yellow alerts are valid across the Midlands during the same period.

Amber heat health alerts are issued when high temperatures are likely to have a significant impact on health and social care services.

They suggest there is likely to be an increase in deaths, especially among those aged over 65 or with long-term health conditions.

Friday is expected to be the first very hot day with temperatures rising to the mid to high-twenties across East Anglia and south-east England.

Around Greater London it might be as hot as 32C (90F) on Friday afternoon.

It will be a different story for Scotland and Northern Ireland with outbreaks of heavy rain.

Some wet weather will also affect parts of northern England and Wales with temperatures here around 17-24C (63-75F), closer to the seasonal average.

Saturday will be less hot overall, but temperatures are expected to rise again on Sunday and Monday.

Sunny spells are likely but the heat may also spawn a few big thunderstorms into early next week.

Many computer weather models suggest the heat is likely to continue through the week ahead, especially in the south.

Tuesday will be particularly warm and hot as temperatures widely across England and Wales rise to 26 to 32C (79F to 90F). But in some parts of south-east England it could get as high as 34C (93F)

There is a small possibility we'll get close to the UK's highest June temperature of 35.6C, set in 1976.

Many areas will reach their official heatwave criteria - three consecutive days of temperatures above a threshold, which varies from 25 to 28C (77-82F) across different parts of the UK.

The UK weather is being influenced by a large and likely record breaking heatwave developing across western Europe caused by a static area of high pressure.

The high pressure can act like a lid causing warm air to get trapped underneath it. This leads to already warm or hot air becoming hotter and hotter, creating a so-called "heat dome".

In the coming days temperatures across Spain, France, Germany and into eastern Europe will rise into the mid to high 30s.

By Sunday, temperatures could exceed 40C in parts of France, including Paris. The June temperature record of 37.6C set in 1947 is likely to be exceeded easily.

Many other locations across France could also see new records being set with this national heatwave.

The area of high pressure will subtly shift position over the next few days and this will allow some of this hot air to come into the south-east of the UK.

Last month, much of the UK faced an unprecedented heatwave, breaking the May temperature record with a high of 35.1C (95.1F) at Kew Gardens in London.

32.9C (91.2F) recorded in Cardiff was a May record for Wales, and Ireland also recorded its highest May temperature with 30C (86F) in County Clare.

According to the Met Office, the spring weather event was "one of the UK's most extreme high temperature events in our observational records".

To keep up to date with the weather forecast where you are, check the BBC Weather website or app.