For #UK friends who will be going through the #heatwave tomorrow.

I'm very late posting this as it's been a busy few days, but here's some advice on keeping cool during the extreme heat, cobbled together from advice sent to me from a few people who are Very Sensible about these things. I offer it to you in case any of it is new to you, as some of it was to me. Feel free to copy and pass it on to others.

Hope you can keep cool tomorrow.

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As Monday will have temperatures higher than ever before seen in the UK, the government have declared this a level 4 (the highest level) national emergency. The usual rules for what you might do in hot weather don't apply in these temperatures.

If at all possible, stay indoors. Transport will be affected – road surfaces may melt (no joke), cars will break down – and emergency services will be under severe pressure (but do please call them if you need them).

If you must go out, try to do it early or late in the day. Stick to shady places if you can; if you're caught in sun in the middle of the day, cover up as much as possible in light-weight clothing, with a broad-brimmed hat if you have one.

Open windows late tonight or early morning before it heats up to let cool, fresh air through the house, then close the windows, and also curtains on the sunward side, to keep the cool in. You could hang a damp sheet in front of open windows to cool the air, although it'll probably be too hot to open the windows at all on Monday.

Think about which room(s) in your house are coolest, and use those as much as possible. There might be some rooms cooler in the morning and others cooler later in the day.

To lower your body temperature, you can:
– put your feet in a bowl of cold water,
– put a wet scarf around your neck,
– wet your hair,
– wet your clothes (over the shoulders, back, etc.)
– take a cool shower,
– fill the bath with cold water and sit in it (if you're really hot, take a cool shower first so dipping into cold water doesn't shock you).

If it's getting too hot at home and you need to cool down, go to somewhere local that is air-conditioned or, for instance, stand for a while in the chiller aisles in a supermarket.

Keep hydrated but be aware of mineral loss when you sweat, so eat as wide a range as possible of salad, fruit, veg, juices and varied foods. This will help replace all the various minerals you need.

If it's too hot to sleep, lie under a wet sarong or similar sheet and let the evaporation keep you cool.

This isn't intended to scare you! With some planning and caution, you should be all right (if uncomfortable).