Tropical air could make Britain hotter than California next week, with the Met Office predicting temperatures could soar past 30C within days – a stark difference to this weekend of heavy downpours.
In what is good news for those families heading to the UK’s beaches to make the most of the summer holidays, high pressure set to build from the middle of the week.
It means south-east England could reach 32C by Friday – higher than the 26C predicted for sunny Los Angeles.
Before then, however, the rainy weather will continues, with heavy and persistent showers expected from Sunday evening and into Monday.
Those visiting Ascot racecourse today for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup were also hit with blustery showers and spells of rain, forcing racegoers to shelter.
A weather warning will be place for parts of North Wales on Monday with a half a month’s worth of rain expected to fall in 24 hours.
Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: ‘We are looking at the possibility of reaching the low 30s later in the week, most likely on Friday, probably in and around London, running into East Anglia and other parts of the South and East.
ASCOT: Racegoers shelter from the blustery showers today as they arrive for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup
TORBAY: Beachgoers got a glimpse of sunshine earlier this week before returning to blustery showers
KENT; People sunbathing near the English channel in Kent earlier this week
Next week south-east England could reach 32C by Friday – higher than the 26C predicted for sunny Los Angeles
TORBAY: More people will be able to soak up the sun next with temperatures being higher than in Los Angeles
‘We’ve got low pressure dominating at the moment, that will eventually give way to another area of heavy rain and cloud which will move up from the South and West into Monday, which will be a miserable and wet day across England and Wales.
‘Beyond that, there are tentative signs of an improvement, gradually losing that showery signal during Tuesday and Wednesday, and temperatures will start to climb.
‘We’ve got high pressure building from the middle of the week and that will tap into some tropical continental air, which will draw up some very warm, locally hot air that will allow temperatures to climb steadily.
‘By the time we get into Friday and maybe into Saturday we stand a chance of breaking into the 30s.’
Temperatures may also climb in other parts of the country on Friday, with much of England and Wales to surpass 25C, while Scotland and Northern Ireland could reach the low-to-mid 20s.
Many areas will be dry with sunny spells during the warm period, according to the Met Office, but there may be outbreaks of thundery showers.
Mr Stroud said the heat will be short-lived as low pressure will move back in, making next weekend more unsettled.
Last month was the sixth wettest July in Britain on record and the wettest since 2009, with 140.1mm (5.5in) of rain falling – 170 per cent of the average amount.
TYNESIDE: A kayaker makes the most of the morning sunshine on Friday
KENT: A woman with a dog enjoys the sunshine and hot weather by the sea on the English Channel in Kent
BRISTOL: A balloon flies in the grey sky yesterday during Bristol’s 45th international balloon fiesta
LONDON: Earlier this week the capital was hit by heavy downpours causing people to shelter while walking over Millennium Bridge
BOURNEMOUTH: Murky skies formed over Bournemouth today ahead of next week’s sunshine
OXFORDSHIRE: Cloud form over hay bales following a spell of sunshine in Shiplake
TORBAY: More people will be able to make the most of the sunshine next week as temperatures soar
Heavy rain it thought to have been one contributing factor to a downturn in footfall across UK retail destinations.
Rail strikes and the cost-of-living crisis are also said to have contributed to the number of people going out to the shops dropping for the first time in 14 years, with footfall down 0.3 per cent between June and July this year – compared to a rise of 3.7 per cent between May and June.
But the warm weather in June encourage Britons to eat out and drink more, boosting GDP and encouraging the UK economy to grow by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of the year, with a 0.5 per cent increase in June alone.
This year saw the hottest June on record, with the Met Office recording an average temperature of 15.8C (60.4F).
The previous high of 14.9C (58.8F) was recorded in 1940 and 1976.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12400247/Tropical-air-make-Britain-hotter-California-week-Met-Office-predicts-temperatures-soar-past-30C-days-heavy-downpours-weekend.html
