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A top weather expert has sounded the alarm over " " temperatures set to hit the UK this month, with forecasts predicting 30C today as the continues.

Weather charts indicate a relentless climb in temperatures throughout the month, with some speculations of the mercury soaring above 30C.

The British Weather Service's has issued a stark warning that such heat levels are within the "death zone" - and could intensify further.

The "death zone" is defined by any prolonged temperatures above 35C, which can wreak havoc on infrastructure and, in extreme cases, result in fatalities.

The has already sounded an amber alert, indicating that an increase in mortality rates is "likely".

Jim elaborated: "40C may happen later this month, or higher."

Jim had previously cautioned that hitting the "panic button" would be necessary if the UK were to experience blistering 45C temperatures soon.

The Met Office has advised that there's a 50% likelihood of Britain experiencing such extreme heat within the forthcoming 12 years, reports .

Met Office's senior scientist Dr Gillian Kay has highlighted the growing risk. She said: "The chance of exceeding 40C has been rapidly increasing, and it is now over 20 times more likely than it was in the 1960s.

"Because our continues to warm, we can expect the chance to keep rising. We estimate a 50:50 chance of seeing a 40C day again in the next 12 years. We also found that temperatures several degrees higher than we saw in July 2022 are possible in today's climate."

Regarding the UK's potential experience of 45C temperatures, Jim warned: "There will be huge stresses across the , we will have to change the way that we live, particularly in summertime; acting more like people in Southern .

"It will have a material effect on infrastructure, railway lines will be melting, roads will be melting."

Jim also discussed the likelihood of the UK reaching 45C later this summer, as temperatures are expected to surpass 30C in some areas this week.

He stated: "It's not impossible, but it's unlikely. To beat the previous record of 40.3, it's an evens chance it will be the 40.3. 10 to 1 that we get to 45, if it's not this summer, it'll be next summer or future summers.

"These things are going to happy more often, heatwaves will become more a progressive thing. When you're talking 45C you're talking Dubai temperatures."

This is not Jim's first warning about the dangers of temperatures exceeding 40C. Last year, he explained the implications to Reach Plc.

He noted: "The death zone is 35C upwards, but in reality, in terms of mass impacts on the way that we live and die, I think 45C upwards is where the panic button has to be pressed to a degree. A lot of this will depend on the temperature profile.

"We may be able to cope with a single day with the right information, but once it unwinds into a week and more it becomes a greater problem."