UK could see hottest day of the year this week as Met Office gives verdict on heatwave

The UK is expected to see its hottest temperature of the year so far later this week - but the Met Office has dampened hopes of a heatwave.

Meteorologists said that high pressure conditions are settling in for the coming week, with clear skies allowing more of the May sunshine to reach ground level. This will gradually raise temperatures, which are forecast to hit highs of up to 25°C in some parts of the country by Thursday.

But the Met Office experts have once again played down reports of an 'African plume' heatwave heading our way from southern Europe. Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: "If you have heard media hyperbole that a heatwave driven by an African plume will bring intense heat to the UK in the next few days you are going to be disappointed – this isn't true."

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He added: "However, if you are looking forward to a spell of largely fine, sunny and warm conditions across the majority of the UK, then you are going to be in luck." The Met Office has said that the UK as a whole can look forward to lots of settled weather throughout the week, with dry and sunny conditions set to continue into the bank holiday weekend.

For the North East, Tuesday is set to be a mostly fine day with cloud breaking to allow some sunshine through, with some isolated showers possible for the afternoon. Meanwhile, the early outlook for Wednesday to Friday forecasts plenty of sunshine and light winds, although there will be some chilly starts, with the warmest period expected to be on Wednesday afternoon.

The region is not predicted to reach the balmy heights of 25°C, however, with highs of 18°C forecast across the region this week. The Met Office forecast for Newcastle suggests that the mercury will hit 18°C on Tuesday and Wednesday, before dropping down to 15°C on Thursday and Friday - but there will be plenty of sunshine throughout.

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