The Met Office is considering issuing a red extreme heat warning across the country ahead of another warm week.
Forecasters say temperatures could hit 36C or possibly higher, with some raising fears of damage to railway lines and power networks.
The Met Office is now weighing whether to issue rare amber or red extreme heat warnings for what could be Britain’s fifth heatwave of the summer.
Monday is expected to bring a brief dip in temperatures before they climb again on Tuesday.
“We’ll probably see highs reaching the mid-30s quite widely on Wednesday, and indeed on Thursday too for England and Wales,” Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said.
“On Wednesday, probably the Midlands, maybe a little bit further south, the M4 corridor, west of London, up towards the Midlands, is where we might have a small chance of reaching 36C in one or two spots.
“But Thursday at this stage looks the most likely hottest day of the week.
“So 36C is a fairly reasonable probability locally on Thursday and there’s a small chance it could get even higher than that.”
“If it wasn’t for this incredible summer that we’re currently seeing, then we’d be talking about these temperatures as being really, very unusual.
“But of course, we’ve had such an exceptional summer, people have become a bit used to it.”
Turning to the knock-on effects of the heat, Mr Morgan said: “There is a potential for impacts, so impacts to infrastructure, things like railway lines and power networks, impacts to vulnerable people as well.
“We sometimes issue extreme heat warnings, amber and red warnings, which we did back in June, so that’s under consideration at the moment,” he confirmed.”
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Half of England and the entirety of Wales are already in drought, with further regions potentially being declared when the National Drought Group convenes on Monday.
Over 25 million people face water use restrictions, according to the Environment Agency, with hosepipe bans affecting all South East Water and Thames Water customers.
Health officials have cautioned that vulnerable people face serious risks, with potential increases in deaths and significant strain on health and social care services.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow heat health alerts covering London, the East and West Midlands, the South East, South West, East of England, and Yorkshire and the Humber.
These alerts run until 9pm on Tuesday but could be extended.
A new record is poised to fall this week, after Sunday became the 34th day in 2026 when temperatures topped 30C somewhere in the UK, matching the previous record set in 1995.
Two additional heatwaves struck in July, which was the driest on record for England and Wales since measurements began in 1836.
Those conditions have been blamed for widespread drought and wildfires across the country.
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