Why does this heat wave feel worse than the last one?

Nighttime temperatures will remain high this week, with some areas not exceeding 20C. These are called “tropical nights”.

Thursday night is likely to see the warmest June night, with lows not expected to drop below 21 to 23C across Wales, the Midlands and the South East.

Some places could be hotter than the 22.7C recorded in 1979 and the Welsh record of 20.3C – the UK and England records set just this week.

Even in the coldest part of the night, when it feels like 27C, the temperature can be more noticeable.

This is a big difference to previous heatwaves in the UK.

In July 2022’s warm season, for example, most of England and Wales experienced warm nights – although a few places had more than two in a row.

During this heat wave, some areas may see three or four warm nights in a row which will have more of an impact.

This means that the body cannot cool down during the heat of the day.

While this is particularly dangerous for vulnerable people, it also puts healthy individuals at risk, leading to poor sleep, cardiovascular stress and increased risk of heat exhaustion in the following days.

As the planet continues to warm, such heat waves will become more common.

“Until we drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions, global warming will not stop. In fact, it will accelerate,” Deoras said.

“A warm atmosphere holds more moisture, so the combination of increased temperature and humidity can cause such moist heat to rise and become more intense.”