A weather pattern called an ‘Omega block’ is going to bring a prolonged period of sunshine and dry weather say weather forecasters with the balmy conditions running well into next week
Brits can look forward to a long spell of high temperatures with blue skies and sunshine thanks to an ‘Omega block’ weather pattern.
The UK can expect “sunshine across the board” due to a high pressure system which will run into next week with temperatures hitting the mid-20Cs, says BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes. There may be some brief spell of cloud and thunderstorms but the overall picture is very settled. Mr Fawkes went on to explain the ‘Omega block’ which shows the jet stream flowing around the UK to the north and so bringing the high pressure.
“Into the weekend, if we take a look at our jet stream pattern, we have this which is an Omega block. We’ve seen lots of these over recent months, and it is this that causes the air to descend down through the atmosphere and for an area of high pressure to build and become slow moving,” he said.
“These blocks can often last a week or more and so we better get used to this dry, settled and sunny weather, not just through the weekend but well into next week as well.
“Taking a look at the longer range forecast then and it is pretty much sunshine across the board, most areas will see temperatures into the low to mid-20Cs, high teens in some of our coastal districts. I don’t know when the next widespread area of rain is to affect the UK, all I do know is that it isn’t going to happen any time soon.”
Southern and Western parts of England and Wales were hit by ferocious thunderstorms on Monday evening as the sunshine came to abrupt end, and there could be more thunder and lightning today as well as the threat of localised flooding but it will be still remain warm with temperatures in the 20Cs.
“Thundery showers are likely to develop this time across the far south of England and the far south of Wales,” said Mr Fawkes. “There will be some areas that see some quite slow moving storms bringing a threat of localised downpours and some localised surface water flooding. Those storms then fade away through Tuesday night.”
But he told how the rain will not last long and he continued: “Wednesday itself, we see our area of high pressure start to build from the north of the UK and with that will come a lot of dry weather. It looks as though this high pressure is going to last for a long time.
“Most of the UK we are looking at dry weather conditions with sunshine and the highest temperatures will tend to be across the south and the west at this stage, 23C for Cardiff and for London, 20C feeling very pleasant in the sunshine in Glasgow, it will be in the 20Cs for parts of Northern Ireland too.”
It is then a similar outlook for the end of this week and going into the start of next. The Met Office forecast from May 17-26 also states: “Dry, fine, and largely sunny conditions are expected to continue for the vast majority as a slow moving area of high pressure remains dominant.
“The weather will continue to be warm or very warm, especially in the west, but it will likely be cooler in the east as some coastal areas see more persistent low cloud at times, compared with previous days.
“There is an increasing chance that conditions will turn wetter and more unsettled through the mid to latter part of next week, possibly following a hotter spell, as areas of rain and strengthening winds threaten from the west and/or south (the latter bringing a risk of thunderstorms). This would most likely to be accompanied by temperatures dropping nearer to average for the time of year.”