After weeks of wet and cold weather, it looks like summer is finally here. Temperatures are expected to reach 27°C in parts of the UK next week as the summer holidays begin in England.
Clouds and cooler weather returned this weekend after the hottest day of the year so far on Friday, with a temperature of 31.9C in St James’s Park, central London, making it the hottest day recorded in 2024.
After a rather cool start to the weekend, the weather will be cooler, brighter and drier on Sunday. Temperatures are expected to remain around 20°C, which is the July average.
Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell told PA Media the east is likely to see a “grey start” on Sunday, while the south will see temperatures reach highs.
As the day progresses, most of the country “will experience dry and sunny periods,” he said.
Next week, rain is expected to arrive from the west on Monday. Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will see wet spells, while the south will remain largely unaffected by rain.
The weather is expected to stabilise on Tuesday and Wednesday, with temperatures starting to rise in some areas. In the south, temperatures could reach 27°C in some places.
Thursday is expected to be wet before typical July weather returns next weekend.
Snell said: “There won’t be sunshine everywhere and we’ll see rain in the north on Monday and the rest of the country on Thursday.
“It won’t be as hot as the last few days, but warmer than the beginning of July. That will be an improvement.”
“Overall, the Southeast and South are expected to see the warmest temperatures next week.”
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The sunnier weather follows a cold and wet July. London received 154% of its usual July rainfall in the first half of the month, before temperatures soared late last week.
As a result, heat health alerts were issued across the Midlands, East and South of England from Friday until 11am Saturday. These alerts were mainly aimed at health and social care services, warning that the heat could affect older people and those with underlying health conditions.
The highest temperature recorded in the UK in 2024 so far was 30.5°C (86.5°F), recorded in Wisley in Surrey on 26 June.
