Today could mark the hottest day of the year with 30C likely across the Southeast of England – but the blistering spell will end in just days, according to weather maps
The UK continues to be gripped by a mini heatwave but the blistering spell will swiftly come to an end, according to new weather maps – which reveal exactly when temperatures will take a sharp dip.
It comes after the Met Office warned today could mark the hottest day of the week as temperatures creep up to 29C – and possibly even reach 30C – a temperature not seen in April in the UK since the record set more than 70 years ago in 1949. The forecaster predicts London will bask in highs of at least 29C whilst surrounding areas in the south, including Reading, Oxford, Southampton and Bristol will hover between a balmy 23-35C. During this time, overnight temperatures are also expected to be high in some areas for the time of year.
Temperatures in the UK could soar to an unprecedented 30C in the capital, beating the last record set several decades ago. The highest April temperature on record – 29.4C – came on April 16, 1949, at Camden Square in London. According to Met Office temperature records, which date back to 1860, if the UK reaches 30C today, it will be the earliest point in the year in which we have reached 30C.
But a series of new weather maps suggest the hot spell will quickly come to an end by Sunday. A Met Office map shows temperatures by the end of the week are likely to be considerably lower, taking a sharp dip in London from a scorching 29C down to a much cooler 15C. Areas in the north of Scotland, including Aberdeen and Wick, are also expected to be chilly – hovering between 5-7C, while elsewhere across the UK, temperatures will sit within the early to mid-teens.
According to the Met Office, “cloud and showers” will move southeast across Scotland and Northern Ireland into northern England today. There will be “hot sunshine and isolated thunderstorms to the south”, with brighter, showery and cooler weather further northwest, it adds.
From Friday to Sunday, the forecaster predicts “scattered showers in the south at times, and a few further north, though a lot of dry weather for many with some sunshine,” before temperatures begin dropping and become rather cool in places.
According to advanced weather modelling maps by WXCharts, hot temperatures on Thursday evening are expected to be above the seasonal average, whilst cooler temperatures set to arrive on Sunday are expected to be below the seasonal average.
Speaking on the possibilty of a heatwave in the UK this week, Deputy Chief Meteorologist Michael Silverstone said: “We are experiencing a brief very warm or even hot spell, which isn’t abnormal for the time of year. However, if we reach 30°C on Thursday, 1st May, it will be the earliest date in May that the UK has seen 30°C since our records began in 1860.”
He continues: “This week has already seen highs of 24.5°C at St James’s Park on Monday and 24.9°C at Ross-on-Wye and Trawsgoed on Tuesday. Today, temperatures are set to reach around 27°C, maybe even 28°C, then climbing to 29°C or even 30°C tomorrow. By Friday, the heat will start to ease, though parts of the south and southeast may still reach 27°C or 28°C. The weekend will bring cooler conditions, with more average temperatures for all parts by Sunday.
“Based on the definition of a heatwave, it looks unlikely that we’ll reach one this week. Admittedly, it could be close for a few places in the south though, with temperatures either today or Friday only just failing to exceed the required threshold.”
