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| Heatwave warnings extended to north-west England | Heatwave warnings extended to north-west England |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The heatwave warning has been raised to "level three" by the Met Office for north-west England. | The heatwave warning has been raised to "level three" by the Met Office for north-west England. |
| It said the hottest weather was expected over western England on Friday, with the east becoming cooler. | |
| Level three warnings are in place for the South West and the West Midlands, but warnings for south-east England and London have been reduced to Level two. | |
| The warning alerts healthcare services to help those in high-risk groups such as the elderly and young children. | The warning alerts healthcare services to help those in high-risk groups such as the elderly and young children. |
| Level three alerts are triggered when threshold temperatures have been reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the next day has a greater than 90% confidence level that the day threshold temperature will again be met. | |
| The threshold temperature for north-west England is 30C (86F). | |
| Eastern areas will see cooler conditions on Friday, with London and south-east England reduced to a level two warning, and the East of England reduced to a level one warning - the minimum state of vigilance. | |
| Level two warnings are also currently in place for the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber. These alerts are triggered by a 60% or higher chance of the threshold temperature again being reached on the second day. | |
| North-east England remains on a level one warning. | |
| Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not included in the alert system. | |
| The Met Office said it would become less hot for a time over the weekend, but temperatures are expected to increase again early next week with a likelihood of level three being reached again in some areas. | |
| It is the UK's first prolonged heatwave since 2006, with six consecutive days of temperatures above 30C (86F). | |
| In Scotland, walkers and climbers are being warned to guard against potentially fatal dehydration, heatstroke and heat exhaustion as temperatures soar to over 27C (81F) this weekend. | |
| Scottish Natural Heritage said the hot weather also poses a threat of uncontrolled fire spreading across land and wildlife habitats. | |
| On Wednesday, firefighters in south London tackled a grass fire in an area the size of about four football pitches on Mitcham Common. | |
| Wednesday was the hottest day of the year, with 32.2C (89.9F) recorded at Hampton in south-west London. | Wednesday was the hottest day of the year, with 32.2C (89.9F) recorded at Hampton in south-west London. |