Temperatures set to soar this week

Heatwave

Temperatures on Tuesday could reach as high as 29°C with cloud quickly clearing to leave it sunny and very warm for much of the day. However, there is the chance that some thunderstorms will spread from the south west later.

The outlook for Wednesday to Friday is more mixed, but still very hot.

A stormy morning is expected on Wednesday with thunderstorms tending to clear to the northeast early on, leaving most of the day dry and fine with temperatures set to reach 27°C.

Thursday will see lengthy spells of sunshine, with possible highs of 30°C, but there is the chance of some showers, and these could be thundery in the afternoon.

There is an increasing risk of showers on Friday with temperatures reaching 23°C.

The outlook for the weekend, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July is for temperatures to be in the low 20s with the possibility of rain on Saturday.

Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "The UK will experience another pulse of high temperatures this week, with the possibility of records being broken for not only July but also all-time records in the south.

“The weather setup is broadly similar to the pattern that brought high temperatures to much of continental Europe at the end of June.

“As well as high temperatures during the day, overnight temperatures will also be notably warm and could also break records. Conditions will feel much more comfortable for all by the time we get to Friday."

A scientific study by the Met Office into the Summer 2018 heatwave in the UK showed that it was 30 times more likely to occur now than in 1750 because of the higher concentration of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere. As greenhouse gas concentrations increase heatwaves of similar intensity are projected to become even more frequent, perhaps occurring as regularly as every other year. The Earth’s surface temperature has risen by 1°C since the pre-industrial period (1850-1900).