Portsmouth weather: Amber heat health alert issued for the South East as temperatures rise
The high temperatures are set to return to Portsmouth this week with an amber heat health alert issued for the area.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in collaboration with the Met Office have issued an amber alert advising that the upcoming weather will likely impact health and social care services. The amber alert has been issued from 9am on Tuesday, August 12 and is currently set to last until 6pm on Wednesday, August 13.
Over the next two days, Portsmouth and the surrounding area is set to experience highs of 28 degrees, while areas further north such as Petersfield are forecast to hit 29 degrees.
As per the UKHSA the amber alert means “significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures”. These impacts include:
- a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. There may also be impacts on younger age groups
- likely increased demand on all health and social care services
- internal temperatures in care settings (hospitals and care homes) may exceed the recommended threshold for clinical risk assessment
- the heat affecting the ability of the workforce to deliver services
- indoor environments overheating increasing the risk to vulnerable people living independently in community and care settings
- issues managing medicines
- staffing issues due to external factors (for example, affecting transport)
- increased demand for power exceeding capacity
- other sectors starting to observe impacts (for example, travel delays)
A guide to staying safe during the hot weather can be found on https://www.gov.uk/guidance/beat-the-heat-advice-for-hot-weather.
For the latest weather forecast visit https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/.