UK braced for more wildfires as fourth heatwave looms

At the height of the third heatwave, in mid-July, firefighters were battling 19 significant wildfires simultaneously in England and Wales.Meanwhile, blazes have wrought destruction in mainland Europe this week, with 220,000 forced out of their homes in south-west France and 116,000 evacuated in Spain.This comes as a Met Office meteorologist said UK heatwave thresholds will need to be adjusted to take into account the warming climate, which has seen temperature records repeatedly broken this year.A National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) spokesperson said: “With the Met Office warning that a fourth heatwave could develop this week, bringing another period of very hot weather to parts of the UK, fire and rescue services remain on alert and are continuing to prepare for renewed wildfire risk.”The National Fire Chiefs Council said most wildfires are preventable (Brian Lawless/PA)PA WireBattling nearly 20 wildfires at once demonstrates “the scale of the challenge posed by the prolonged hot, dry conditions”, they added.“Most wildfires are preventable and we are asking everyone to play their part in helping to protect our communities, wildlife and natural spaces, while easing the pressure on firefighters who have already faced an exceptionally challenging summer.”Temperatures cooled, winds picked up and a smattering of rain fell for many during the weekend.But parts of southern England will yet again meet their heatwave criteria on Wednesday, which could reach highs of 32C or 33C, and more will on Thursday.Swithland Reservoir in Leicestershire (Joe Giddens/PA)PA WireA yellow heat alert has been issued from 9am on Tuesday to 9am on Friday for the East and West Midlands, the south-east, south-west and east of England, as well as Yorkshire and the Humber.The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a warning of possible “significant impacts” on health and social care services, including a rise in deaths among the elderly or people with health conditions, and an increase in drownings.Forecasters are expecting this week’s hot spell to be a “north-south split”, with clouds and outbreaks of rain continuing in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England.But the peak will be “almost a blink and you miss it”, with temperatures widely cooling close to average by the weekend, said senior Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud.July was 3C above average across the UK, according to provisional Met Office data on the month so far.Read MoreThis could put it among the hottest three or four months of July on record, said Mr Stroud.Heatwave thresholds for some counties were nudged up by a degree four or five years ago, said senior Met Office meteorologist Marco Petagna.“Going forward they’ll need to be adjusted to take into account… current climate, otherwise we’re going to more frequently go into heatwaves. It’s a moveable thing, really, as we go through a warming world”, he added.Southern England has had just 1% of its average July rainfall. England has had 5% and the UK as a whole 20%, according to the Met Office.The dry spell has contributed to low-water levels and North Wales and the Upper Severn became the first part of the UK to declare drought status on Thursday.In addition, fires, if they start, are likely to become exceptionally severe on Wednesday in pockets of the east, south, and south-east England, according to Met Office data used by Natural England and Natural Resources Wales.The “exceptionally severe” warnings focus on eastern England on Thursday.The Fire Severity Index looks at data including rainfall, temperature and humidity and agencies use it to assess the severity of fire if it starts. It does not cover the chances of wildfires occurring.Emergency crews have already spent days fighting large wildfires in Wales and Scotland that forced people to evacuate from their homes.