Monday is set to be the warmest day of the year so far with top temperatures reaching up to 35C on a blazing hot day for much of the UK.
London, East Anglia and the home counties will experience the warmest weather, with highs of 34C expected in the capital.
High pressure winds drawing in warm air from Europe caused temperatures to climb on Sunday and remain high on Monday but they are expected to return to average levels on Tuesday, the Met Office said.
Temperatures in London are set to climb down to around 27C on Tuesday, before cooling down further as the week goes on.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a yellow heat health warning for much of the UK, including London.
The alert came into force at 9am on Sunday, and will last until 9am on Wednesday (August 14).
A surge of heat from the south will bring very hot and humid weather across much of England and Wales today 🌡️
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 12, 2024
Here are some tips for keeping cool in hot weather 👇https://t.co/asOEDW51lS pic.twitter.com/kPP0L9YIm1
Temperatures on Monday are unlikely to exceed the 40.3C recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on July 19 2022, the highest temperature ever recorded in the UK, according to forecasters.
“It’s going to be hot,” said Met Office forecaster Craig Snell.
“The weather is coming with a lot of humidity, so it will feel quite uncomfortable out there across central eastern England.
“Elsewhere, it’s still going to be warm and humid, but the hottest weather will be in central eastern England.”
How and humid for some on Monday, with thunderstorms in the north 👇 pic.twitter.com/u4pxYxqWMJ
— Met Office (@metoffice) August 11, 2024
The Met Office recommends that people keep curtains closed during the peak of the day and drink lots of water.
London is set to reach highs of 33C on Monday, with northern areas of the UK in for slightly milder weather.
Highs of 26C are forecast for Manchester, and of 21C in Edinburgh.
Thunderstorms are expected in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England on Sunday night and early Monday morning, leading to torrential downpours in some areas.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the affected regions over the next 24 hours, telling drivers to expect spray on the roads and some road closures.
Mr Snell said: “Thunderstorms are already beginning to move into the Republic of Ireland.
“They will start to move up into Northern Ireland later this evening and then move across Scotland and northern England as we go through the night and into tomorrow.
“It could be potentially quite nasty in places up there.”
He added: “Although we probably won’t see that severe weather across the south, that system will gradually bring some cooler temperatures to all parts as we go through Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs back up to the high 20s rather than mid 30s.”
The hottest day of 2024 so far was Friday July 19, where temperatures reached a sweltering 31.9C in central London.
