Weather maps are turning a dark red again later this month as more scorching temperatures hit the UK in a 35C heatwave after a brief cooler spell with wind and rain
Brits are set for scorching temperatures up and down the country with maps turning red in a 35C heatwave.
The Met Office confirmed that 34.7C was recorded at St James’s Park in central London on Tuesday afternoon, beating a 34.4C reading recorded in Writtle, Essex earlier in the day. And just as many are breathing a sigh of relief with cooler temperatures this weekend, weather maps show the mercury will soon hit the mid-30Cs again.
Over the coming days it is going to continue to feel fresh with wind and rain sweeping in from the Atlantic but the mercury will begin to rise again by the end of the week.
And into the weekend maps appear red up and down the country on Sunday. For Saturday it is a generally hot day with the highest temperatures in central and southern England where it could hit 35C, according to maps from WXCharts.
Then a day later the higher temperatures are more widespread with most of the country seeing the mercury reach the high 20Cs or into the 30Cs.
Before that though we have thunderstorms for today ahead of the potential third heatwave. The Met Office said there is a mixed forecast for Sunday and Monday, before temperatures are expected to climb back into the 30Cs by the end of next week – raising the possibility of a third heatwave this summer.
Parts of East Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the East of England are set for heavy rain, lightning and hail on Sunday, which could cause disruption to transport links.
Marco Petagna, senior meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “The headline is a changeable theme to the next couple of days and then the weather will become more settled as we go into next week.
“It could well reach heatwave criteria again across England and Wales towards the end of next week. In the short term, it’s quite a mixed picture. There’s a lot of cloud around, and bits and pieces of showery rain around.
“Across the East of England, the weather could turn heavy and thundery and there’s a warning out for thunderstorms between 7am to 7pm, because of the unsettled atmosphere. We could see an inch or two of rain and several thunderstorms there on Sunday, and that showery scene continues into Monday as well, especially in the north and east of the UK.”
The Met Office said the cooler conditions are set to subside, with much of the country seeing more settled weather moving further into the week. And temperatures rising could lead to a third heatwave – a period of three or more consecutive days of temperatures higher than a location-based threshold – this summer.
But Mr Petagna said it is difficult to predict the duration of the hot weather. He said: “It looks like we will meet heatwave criteria again by the end of the week. The main uncertainty is how warm it does become and how long the increase in temperature lasts for.
“The trend to warmer weather, particularly across England and Wales, certainly looks pretty good going into the week ahead. It will start to feel a bit more humid in the week ahead and also night-time temperatures are going to start to pick up, so it’s going to become more uncomfortable for sleeping.”