Expert Comment: Learning to cope with the heat in UK summers
Dr Chloe Brimicombe, a climate scientist and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford, explains how to cope with extreme heat during UK heatwaves and the policies that could build long-term resilience.
Heatwaves are silent killers; an estimated 1,504 people died from heat in England in summer 2025. They also affect our day-to-day lives when they occur. With climate change they are becoming more intense, longer, and more frequent.
This heatwave is forecast to break records and could again exceed 40°C, and a plausible Met Office scenario suggests UK temperatures could reach 45°C by 2056. The UK first exceeded 40°C in July 2022, when Coningsby in Lincolnshire reached 40.3°C, and the Met Office estimates a 50-50 chance of another 40°C day within the next 12 years.
Heatwaves are periods of three or more consecutive days above a defined temperature threshold in the UK. This heatwave is also bringing tropical nights where the temperature doesn't drop below 20°C. It was rare to witness these in the UK prior to 2000.
We have also seen compounding hazards, where heat and thunderstorms occurred together and led to localised flash flooding.
These conditions make it like living in a sauna with faulty controls. The air holds more moisture, known as high humidity. It is unbearable and difficult to cool your body down.
Those that are most vulnerable are those who have trouble keeping their body cool: people over 65, children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and people with preexisting medical conditions. It also includes those with a limited ability to adapt, such as outdoor workers, people who work in hot environments like kitchens, and young children who rely on caregivers to access cooling.
Heat is not just about health. Buildings and infrastructure, animals and natural environments, and crops and agriculture are all vulnerable too.
I have been researching heatwave impacts and solutions since 2019 in the UK and globally. My PhD focused on the development of a global heat early warning system. Since then, I have also researched the impact of heat on maternal, newborn and child health and assessed how well heat is covered in policy documents.
I am also an ambassador for the charity Shade the UK, which works to prevent heat-related deaths and promote keeping people cool.
“Heat is not just about health. Buildings and infrastructure, animals and natural environments, and crops and agriculture are all vulnerable too.”
Staying cool
This type of heat is becoming more common in our UK summers and is having a big impact. So what can people do to beat the heat during this heatwave? There are lots of ways to keep cool.
During this heatwave you should seek to sleep in the coolest room in your home. It is estimated that 76% of homes have a “safe haven”, the room that stays coolest, which is often the living room rather than the bedroom. We know that heat reduces the quality of sleep and that this can affect the health and wellbeing of an individual.
The fastest way to cool down is a shower or submerging in water, though the water only needs to be cooler than the surrounding air, not ice cold. It is also important to stay hydrated during periods of high heat. It has been a dry spring, and water consumption increases during heatwaves so using water efficiently while cooling down helps protect supplies.
But individual action isn’t sufficient. We have seen some policy progress in the UK with overheating regulationsfor new builds, social housing and extensions into the rental sector. There have also been improvements in the UK heat early warning systems. Heat prevention planning across Europe have reduced heat-related deaths. But more can be done to tackle rising exposure to heat.
Future-proofing
There are many solutions to build resilience and mitigate heatwaves as they become a regular part of future summers.
The Climate Change Committee’s risk assessment report calls for heat-safe thresholds in UK workplaces, which could be developed jointly by employers and employees as an extension of health and safety regulations.
Our energy grid cannot cope with a massive uptake in air conditioning, or data centres that require cooling, if we focus on energy-intensive methods. Instead, hospitals, care homes and educational settings, where the most vulnerable are, should be prioritised for cooling.
A transition to net zero is directly relevant to heatwaves, which will continue to intensify without it. The UK carbon budget is an important policy which legally requires the Government to reduce emissions over time.
We need sustainable funding for all things heat: funding for a diverse range of researchers, innovation to develop better solutions, investment in infrastructure, and education and engagement to highlight the risks and the solutions.
In the meantime, everyone can talk about heatwaves. Talk about the risks and how to stay cool. Look out for family, friends and neighbours during a heatwave. It increases awareness and can keep others safe.
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