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The UK could face a heatwave this week as the Met Office predicts Tuesday will be the hottest day of the year so far.
After a often wet and cooler summer, temperatures are now expected to reach 32C in London on Tuesday, with much of the UK set to enjoy “very warm, locally hot” weather over the next few days.
Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said there was “certainly potential for this to become a full-blown official heatwave”, adding that the weather would be warm enough to feel like one whether or not conditions reached the technical threshold.
In the UK, the heatwave threshold is reached when a location records at least three consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value, according to the Met Office. This threshold is 25°C for most of the UK, but rises to 28°C in and around London, where temperatures are generally higher.
“It’s certainly possible that this could become a full-blown official heatwave, because in the periods you’ve had before it hasn’t really met all the criteria,” Mr Partridge said.
“If there isn’t, it’s very close, and if you’re outside and a member of the public, you’re going to feel like a heatwave anyway, because overnight things are going to get a little bit more humid and muggy on a day-to-day basis as well.”
Temperatures are expected to reach 27C in some local areas on Sunday, before highs of 29C on Monday and 32C on Tuesday are forecast in the south-east of England.
The hottest day of the year so far saw a temperature of 31.9C recorded in St James’s Park, central London, on 19 July.
According to the meteorologist, many parts of the country will see temperatures four to five degrees above average for this time of July. Only the northwest regions of Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland will see clouds and possibly rain on Monday and Tuesday.
However, this summer spell could end abruptly on Wednesday with heavy thundery rain expected – although uncertainty remains over whether this will only occur in the south of England or in other parts of the UK.
Despite the sudden showers, temperatures are expected to remain high until the first week of August.
Mr Partridge said: “Usually when these storms come through everything gets cooler and fresher, but although it will be a bit cooler at the end of the week it will still be about where we should be, maybe a degree or two warmer. So a bit of summer is on the cards.”
