England and Wales weather checks after heat and storms

England and Wales start Thursday, 28 May, after a week of record May heat, heat-health alerts and thunderstorm disruption warnings. Before setting off for work, school, care visits or longer journeys, readers should check the current Met Office warning map and the UKHSA heat-health alert dashboard, because yesterday’s alerts and storm warnings do not automatically mean the same risks are still in force today.

What was confirmed before Thursday morning

The Met Office said on 25 May that the hot spell would continue through the week, forecasting highs of 31C on Wednesday, 30C on Thursday, 27C on Friday and 28C on Saturday.

UKHSA issued its first amber heat-health alert of 2026 for the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East and West Midlands. Yellow alerts were also issued for the North East, North West, South West and Yorkshire and the Humber. Those alerts were originally set to run from 2pm on Friday, 22 May, until 5pm on Wednesday, 27 May.

Sky News reported that a Met Office yellow thunderstorm warning covered parts of south-west England and much of Wales on Wednesday, 27 May, from 3pm to midnight. The risks reported included heavy rain, hail, spray on roads, possible localised flooding, short-term power cuts and public transport delays.

Who should check plans first today

Commuters should check rail, bus and road updates before leaving, especially where yesterday’s storms may have affected routes, signals, local roads or power supplies.

Parents and schools should check local arrangements for sports days, outdoor lessons, trips and pickup times, particularly where hot classrooms or storm disruption could affect the day.

Carers, relatives and neighbours should check on older people, people with long-term health conditions, babies and anyone who may struggle to keep cool. Heat-health alerts are designed to warn health and social care services when temperatures could increase risk for vulnerable groups.

Outdoor workers and event organisers should review shade, water access, break times and contingency plans for sudden showers or lightning if storms are forecast locally.

What to verify before travel or care visits

Check these official pages close to departure, not only the night before:

A yellow thunderstorm warning means disruption is possible, not certain. An amber heat-health alert means impacts are more likely across health and social care, especially for vulnerable people. Neither should be treated as a live Thursday warning unless the official maps confirm that status at publication time.

Practical heat and storm precautions

Carry water, avoid leaving people or pets in parked vehicles, and keep medicines stored as advised during hot weather. If you are visiting someone at risk, check whether they can keep rooms shaded, access fluids and contact help if they feel unwell.

For travel, allow extra time where heavy rain affected roads or rail routes on Wednesday. If a new thunderstorm warning appears, avoid driving through flood water, expect spray on faster roads and charge phones before longer journeys in case of local power interruptions.

The next useful check is whether the Met Office still shows any weather warning for your postcode and whether UKHSA has extended, downgraded or ended heat-health alerts for your region.

Source: Met Office