Temperatures should thankfully start to ease off soon following a scorching heatwave which has brought record-breaking weather conditions to the UK.
The UK’s record for hottest June day ever was broken for three consecutive days this week, on Wednesday, Thursday and finally again yesterday when the mercury soared to 37.3C in Santon Downham, a village in Suffolk.
More scorching conditions are expected today too. The Met Office‘s latest forecast issued this morning suggests temperatures will peak at 33C in southern areas and 30C in northern regions.
Thankfully, peak temperatures are expected to drop below 30C tomorrow. The Met Office anticipates afternoon highs of 27C in southern areas and 23C in the north.
This should mean most regions are no longer under official heatwave conditions. A heatwave is declared when an area records temperatures over the heatwave threshold for three consecutive days.
The threshold varies from 25C to 28C in different counties – it sits at 28C in the south-east where temperatures tend to be warmer, and drops to 25C the further away from the south-east you go.
View 3 ImagesMap showing heatwave threshold across UK(Image: Met Office)
Met Office forecasting maps show temperatures tomorrow morning might only reach 21C in East Anglia, 20C in London, 18C in the Midlands, 17C in Cardiff, 15C in Glasgow and 13C in parts of Northern Ireland.
Met Office Chief Forecaster Andy Page said: “The UK is seeing a gradual shift in conditions over the weekend, with those to the southeast of England retaining the warmth the longest, where an Amber Extreme Heat Warning remains in force through much of Saturday, though peaks are more likely to be in the low 30s.”
View 3 ImagesTemperatures should drop to around 13C in some areas tomorrow morning(Image: Met Office)
The Met Office says western parts of Scotland and much of Northern Ireland will see rain at times today, with showers likely spreading further south in places on Sunday.
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The south-east should remain dry through the weekend, although there is a risk of thunderstorms before temperatures return more towards average later on Sunday and into Monday.
For the start of next week, the Met Office says: “Feeling fresher for all. Largely dry with sunny spells, but a few showers possible, particularly on Tuesday and in the northwest. Light winds and feeling pleasant in the sunny spells.”