UK forecasters issue first-ever 'red' warning for exceptional heat with all-time records poised to topple

(CNN)Temperatures in the UK are expected to soar to all-time highs early next week, prompting the British government to issue a "red" heat warning for the first time and note the dangerous health impacts the weather could have. Air conditioning, while more common in hotter parts of the world, is exceedingly rare in UK homes since temperatures there are typically cooler in the summer.

"Exceptional heat is expected to affect a large part of England early next week," the UK's Met Office said in a press release Friday, noting that temperatures would reach the high 30s Celsius (around 100 degrees Fahrenheit) in some places, potentially climbing as high as 40 degrees Celsius.

This first-ever red warning for extreme heat covers parts of central, northern, eastern and southeastern England for Monday and Tuesday of next week, when temperatures will be at their highest. The warning includes London.

"Nights are also likely to be exceptionally warm, especially in urban areas," Met Office meteorologist Paul Gundersen said in the release. "This is likely to lead to widespread impacts on people and infrastructure. Therefore, it is important people plan for the heat and consider changing their routines. This level of heat can have adverse health effects."

The increase in the frequency, duration and intensity of extreme heat events over recent decades is clearly linked to the observed warming of the planet and can be attributed to human activity, the Met Office wrote.

"In a recent study, we found that the likelihood of extremely hot days in the UK has been increasing and will continue to do so during the course of the century, with the most extreme temperatures expected to be observed in the southeast of England," Nikos Christidis, climate attribution scientist at the Met Office, said.