The mercury has been around the 30C mark for the past week or so across the country, including on Thursday – the hottest day of the year so far – but rain is forecast
These striking weather maps show widespread downpours and storms are set to end our next sizzler.
Temperatures were so warm – and for a prolonged enough period of time – that a heatwave was officially recognised over the past week. The mercury hit 32.2C in west London on Thursday, the hottest day of the year so far. Forecasters have confirmed more scorching weather – with highs of 35C – is on the cards, but it now appears this spell will be short-lived.
A band of low pressure will send temperatures falling by Wednesday July 2 and, with it, will come thunderstorms and rain. The heaviest downpours are likely across mid and south Wales, and parts of the Midlands throughout Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.
Weather maps, issued by Metdesk, show most of the country blanketed in either a green, yellow or red hue, indicating various quantities of rain. The red dots show areas likely to be affected by thunderstorms throughout Wednesday July 2, and these include the majority of Wales, and some of the Home Counties, including Oxfordshire.
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Daytime temperatures following the storms will be around the 20C mark for most of the UK, around 10C cooler than the last few days. It was 28.2C in Wisley, Surrey, and 27.8C in Chelmsford, Essex yesterday.
But the thunderstorms are as a result of the next burst of heat expected over the weekend and on Monday, meteorologists say. This warm air will come into contact – and underneath – much cooler air and so clouds and rain will form.
Writing on its website in reference to the period of Monday June 30 to Wednesday July 9, the Met Office says: “It’s possible the odd thunderstorm could develop in response to the heat as it likely turns cooler from the west around the middle of next week… There is also the chance of further very warm, perhaps locally hot weather, as brief bursts of hotter air encroach from the continent, but probably fairly short-lived. Should these occur they bring with them the threat of thunderstorms.”
The thunderstorms throughout Wednesday and Thursday will be brief and pass to the northeast. In the short period, around 20mm of rain is expected across Cheshire and Staffordshire, and 10mm is likely across south Wales.
However, once the low pressure sweeps northeast, the rest of the week will be more settled. Highs of 27C could be on the cards across the East of England on Friday July 4, and it may be even warmer on Saturday July 5 across the Southeast of England.