Temperatures are set to rise this week and forecasters say the peak will be on Friday when many parts of England and Wales are likely to see the hottest day of the year so far. The Met Office says that it will become increasingly warm in the south from Wednesday as high pressure builds. This will bring settled conditions allowing temperatures to build day-on-day and for it to become warm, or even hot, by the end of the week.
BBC Weather forecaster Simon King says that "33°C most likely, but some weather models are suggesting higher - 34 or even 35°C." The June record in the UK is 35.6°C from 1976, but Friday is likely to be the hottest day since August 2020.
Met Office UK weather maps for Thursday show that the warmest weather is expected in the southeast of England with highs of 29°C, with highs of 23°C in south-east Wales and 25°C in south-west England. Northern Ireland and Scotland are looking cooler with temperatures in the low 20s.
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Friday shows 34°C in parts of London and the south-east of England, 33°C in the Midlands, 29°C in the south-west and 27°C in south-east Wales and north-east England. It comes as The Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a level 2 heat-health alert for a large part of southern and central England, with a level 1 alert in place for northern England, on Wednesday.
Welsh forecaster Derek Brockway said this Friday it is predicted to be 30°C in Usk and 26°C in Machynlleth, but has warned it is not going to last long. The highest temperature on record in Wales was in June was 33.7°C in Machynlleth in 2000. The previous highest was 33.5°C in Usk in June 1976.
Here are the Met Office weather maps for Thursday and Friday:
But it is not set to last long with temperatures dropping by as much as 10 degrees in some areas for the country.
The Met Office forecast for Wales says: "Very warm or hot on Friday with plenty of sunshine. Perhaps the odd heavy shower later. Fresher for the weekend, with the potential for some heavy rain in places."
It is not only in the UK where temperatures are soaring. Heat warnings have been issued for parts of Spain and France as temperatures hit highs of 43°C.
Met Office maps for Europe show how warm it will be on Friday with highs of 38°C. in Madrid and Bordeaux, 32°C. in Paris and 34°C. in Rome.
The French state forecaster, Météo France, said temperatures had already exceeded 35°C. close to the Mediterranean and would rise further from midweek as the hot air mass moved northwards, with parts of the south-west and Rhone valley reaching 39°C..
In Spain, early June temperatures are the hottest recorded in at least 20 years, with 40°C recorded over the weekend in Seville and nearby Córdoba, 42°C in the Guadiana valley in Extremadura and 43°C in other parts of southern Spain.
It comes as a "thundery breakdown" is being forecast for a weekend washout with temperatures dropping by as much as 10 degrees in 24 hours. Forecasters are predicting that Friday will be the hottest day of the year so far when temperatures could reach as much as 33°C as a mass of warm air heads towards the UK. Read more on the latest Met Office forecast for Wales here.
But it is not set to last very long as it is forecast to turn "cooler and fresher" over the weekend with the risk of heavy rain and thundery showers. The Met Office says that it will become increasingly warm in the south from Wednesday as high pressure builds. This will bring settled conditions allowing temperatures to build day-on-day and for it to become warm, or even hot, for a time by Friday.
Welsh forecaster Derek Brockway said this Friday it is predicted to be 30°C in Usk and 26°C in Machynlleth, but has warned it is not going to last long. The highest temperature on record in Wales was in June was 33.7°C in Machynlleth in 2000. The previous highest was 33.5°C in Usk in June 1976.
