Mancunians have wasted no time whatsoever soaking in the sun and heat today as the city is set to sizzle this week. It isn't quite going to break the records that were smashed during last month's heatwave, but many will be reaching for the sun cream and looking for shade once again.
Before starting the working week tomorrow people flocked into the city centre for a chance to catch the sun and enjoy a refreshing drink. Bars and restaurants around the corn exchange in Exchange Square were particularly busy with people also taking advantage of Piccadilly Gardens.
Temperatures topped 21C in central Manchester today, but this is just the start. The region is going to be hotter than several sunny holiday destinations, as temperatures push up to around 30C by the end of this week.
READ MORE: Greater Manchester set to be hotter than the ALGARVE
With Thursday, Friday, and Saturday all going to be at least 28C, according to the Met Office, Greater Manchester will officially be hotter than the Algarve in Portugal, which will be a cooler 26C. While today's temperature is no where near what it is set to be later this week, this didn't stop many enjoying the pleasant weather.
While these temperatures may be higher than average, it will be nothing like the heatwave we witnessed last month, where a record breaking 37.2C was recorded at the Met Office's Rochdale weather station. Infrastructure struggled to cope in such high temperatures, with widespread train cancellations, and people urged to stay away from the sun due to the hazardous temperatures.
Rebekah Sherwin, deputy chief meteorologist with the Met Office, said: "The weather pattern bringing next week’s hot spell is different to the one responsible for last month’s record-breaking temperatures which saw already hot air being drawn up from southern Europe adding to our own home-grown heat.
“This time, that is much less likely; instead, temperatures will build steadily within the lingering area of high pressure.
“There is some uncertainty about next week’s temperatures, although in early August sunshine in the UK doesn’t have the heating potential of mid-July as the sun is lower in the sky and the hours of daylight are marginally shorter.
"Both of these factors suggest that we’re very unlikely to see temperatures peak much above low to mid 30s. However, this would still be a hot spell of weather.”
For more of today's top stories click here.
READ NEXT:
