Temperatures could nosedive to as low as 5C next week following a record-smashing stretch of scorching weather, according to the latest weather maps.
The closing days of May delivered an extraordinary burst of heat across the UK, with numerous regions experiencing full-blown heatwave conditions. According to the national weather agency, 23 stations shattered the previous UK May maximum temperature record of 32.8C set in 1922 and 1944, with the mercury climbing as high as 35.1C at Kew Gardens in Greater London on Tuesday, 26 May.
However, it now appears the Mediterranean-style warmth is set to fade for the time being. In an update on Thursday, the Met Office stated the heatwave “will gradually reduce in intensity in the coming days, with a transition to more unsettled and cooler weather by the weekend for many”.
View 4 ImagesThe mercury could then ratchet back up into the 20s from Thursday, June 11(Image: WXCHARTS.COM)
Met Office Chief Forecaster Chris Bulmer said: “We’re now starting to see this spell of very hot weather break down. Many areas will begin to feel fresher conditions moving in through Friday and into the weekend as a weak cold front moves southeast and becomes more established across most of the UK by Saturday.
“As the heat starts to ease, the weather will also turn more changeable, with some showers and thunderstorms possible. By the weekend, temperatures should be much closer to average for the time of year with accompanying rainfall for many through the weekend and into the start of next week.”
Forecast data gathered by WXCharts indicates that maximum temperatures across much of the UK next week will hover around the mid-teens Celsius. However, by Sunday, temperatures could plummet to as low as 5C in Scotland, around the junction of the Highlands, Aberdeenshire, and Perth and Kinross at 7am BST on Sunday, June 7, according to maps published this morning.
View 4 ImagesWeather map from this morning showing maximum temperatures at 7am on Sunday, June 7(Image: WXCHARTS.COM)
These showed maximum temperatures ranging from approximately 7C to 11C across Scotland and England, and between 7C to 10C in Wales at that point. The mercury was recorded as climbing to between 8C and 10C in Northern Ireland. Nevertheless, maps now indicate temperatures climbing to the mid-teens by 1pm, before surging back to around 21 or 22C across much of the southern half of England by 7pm on Thursday, June 11.
Regions likely to experience the highest temperatures could include large areas of the East Midlands, East of England, the South East and Greater London, with temperatures ranging from around 11C to 20C throughout the remainder of the country.
The Met Office’s long-range forecast covering Tuesday, June 2 to Thursday, June 11, anticipated that during the first week of next month, “Atlantic weather systems are expected to move in from the west, bringing showers or longer spells of rain at times”.
View 4 ImagesTemperature are set to plunge next week, weather maps suggest(Image: Getty)
“The best of the drier conditions are more likely towards the south and east, with more frequent rain across the west and northwest, although there will be drier interludes here also,” it said.
“Drier weather may start to become more dominant as we head into the second week of June. Temperatures will be near-normal overall, with the warmest spots most likely across eastern areas. It will also be breezy at times, especially across western parts, and notably so around exposed coasts.”