The Met Office has issued a series of new amber weather warnings for 90 UK areas while also alerting millions of Britons over the possibility of power cuts. The new amber extreme heat warnings will come into force on midnight on Wednesday and run until 11.59pm on Thursday.

Temperatures are likely to soar to a blistering 38C on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the national weather forecaster. The extreme heat will begin to start building from Tuesday, with the mercury forecast to skyrocket to 37C for southern England and 35C for southeast Wales. The peak of the heatwave is now forecast for Wednesday and Thursday, when temperatures are expected to climb to 38C. The Met Office said: “By Friday conditions will be less hot, with highs of 33C forecast across eastern areas.”

“Very hot weather is likely to continue in general until at least Thursday across the highlighted region, although significant variations from place to place and day by day are likely. Temperatures by day are widely expected to exceed 30 Celsius, with the hottest areas potentially peaking around 38 Celsius.

“Overnight, temperatures are unlikely to fall much lower than high teens Celsius, and some places will not fall below 20 or 21 Celsius. These high temperatures will also be accompanied by high humidity. Cooler conditions may begin to become established from the west following this period, but confidence is low.”

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