Another scorching heatwave could be just days away from sending temperatures in the UK surging to 38C, weather forecasting maps show.
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far – and the hottest June day in history – as a heatwave which has been roasting Brits all week saw 37.3C recorded in Santon Downham.
The Met Office had been forced to issue rarely-seen red weather warnings for extreme heat in England. The heatwave has also brought thunderstorms and lightning, which has caused significant damage to buildings in some areas.
The Met Office’s latest forecast suggests peak temperature will finally drop back below 30C tomorrow. However, it might not be too long before the 30C mark is breached once again.
View 5 ImagesMaximum possible temperatures (C) at 6pm on July 9(Image: WXCHARTS)
The GFS weather model suggests a four-day heatwave is on the cards at the start of next month, starting on July 8. The data shows highs of 30C to 33C right across central and southern England on July 8, with the warmest temperatures coming in western areas as well as the south-east.
For July 9, the maps show temperatures rising as high as 36C close to London, with 35C coming quite widely across southern and eastern England. Parts of Wales are also expected to reach 30C.
View 5 ImagesMaximum possible temperatures (C) at 6pm on July 10(Image: WXCHARTS)
Scorching 38C highs are expected to follow on July 10, the GFS weather model suggests, with western England and the south seeing the hottest conditions. Most of England and Wales is shown on the maps as peaking at more than 30C.
And temperatures could again reach 38C on July 11, in the north-west, Midlands, Yorkshire and the south-east. Areas as far north as the England-Scotland border could see highs of 30C or more, the data suggests.
View 5 ImagesMaximum possible temperatures (C) at 6pm on July 11(Image: WXCHARTS)
Temperature anomaly maps for this period show the UK shaded in deep red, particularly England. This shows where temperatures are expected to surge well above the seasonal average.
In total, the GFS weather model maps show 17 counties could reach 38C or more. They are all in England.
- Yorkshire
- Cheshire
- Staffordshire
- Derbyshire
- Leicestershire
- Warwickshire
- Northamptonshire
- Shropshire
- Gloucestershire
- Worcestershire
- Wiltshire
- Berkshire
- Oxfordshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Surrey
- Sussex
- Kent
View 5 ImagesAnomaly maps show temperatures will surge well above the seasonal average at the start of next month(Image: WXCHARTS)
The Met Office says “hot” conditions could develop in July, with a risk of some “thundery showers”. Its forecast for July 11 to 25 states: “High pressure patterns are looking slightly more likely than low pressure patterns during the early part of this period, meaning a greater chance of settled and drier than average conditions.
“Although with outbreaks of rain and stronger winds at times, more especially across the north. There is still a chance of some changeable or more unsettled conditions developing later in the period, with a risk of some heavy and thundery showers. Temperatures are likely to be above normal on the whole, with a greater than normal chance of hot conditions developing at times.”