It’s only May and England has just triggered its first amber heat alert of 2026
Key Points
- UKHSA has issued the first amber heat-health alert of 2026, taking effect at 2pm on Friday 22 May and running until 5pm on Wednesday 27 May.
- The alert falls outside the UKHSA's core heat-health alerting season of 1 June to 30 September and is classed as an extraordinary alert, landing nine days before the core season opens.
- In 2025, the first amber heat-health alert was not issued until around 20 June, making the 2026 warning roughly a month earlier than the previous year.
- Amber covers the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East and London, with a yellow alert across the North East, North West, South West, and Yorkshire and the Humber for the same period.
- UKHSA Consultant in Health Protection Anya Gopfert has called on people to check in on more vulnerable friends, family or neighbours during the warning period.
England’s first amber heat-health alert of 2026 takes effect at 2pm on Friday 22 May, before the UK Health Security Agency’s summer alerting season has officially opened.
The alert from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covers the West Midlands, East Midlands, East of England, South East and London regions from this afternoon until 5pm on Wednesday (27 May).
A yellow heat-health alert runs in parallel across the North East, North West, South West, and Yorkshire and the Humber for the same five-day window. Between them, the two alerts cover every English region, with only the amber tier signalling expected impacts on health services.
The UKHSA’s heat-health alerting system has a core alerting season that runs from 1 June to 30 September, and any alert issued outside that period is classed as an extraordinary alert. The current warning lands nine days before that core window opens.
By comparison, the first amber alert of 2025 was not issued until around 20 June, when temperatures climbed above 30°C across much of England during that year’s opening heatwave.
An amber alert means the weather is likely to drive increased use of healthcare services by vulnerable populations and raise the risk to people aged over 65 or with pre-existing conditions, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
UKHSA has told health and social care services across the affected regions to prepare for further alerts as the summer progresses.
“We know that even moderate heat can lead to serious health problems, especially for older people and those with certain health conditions, so it’s important that everyone takes simple precautions while enjoying the warm weather over the coming days,” said Anya Gopfert, Consultant in Health Protection at UKHSA.
Gopfert urged people to check on more vulnerable friends, family or neighbours and make sure they are aware of the forecasts and following the official guidance.
The official advice covers keeping homes cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms facing the sun, staying out of direct sun between 11am and 3pm, covering up with a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen when outdoors, and shifting physical activity such as exercising or walking the dog to the cooler morning or evening hours.
UKHSA also points readers to the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and what to do if someone is affected. Active alerts and their expected duration are tracked live on the agency’s data dashboard.
