This week, the UK has been cooling off from last week’s heatwave, but the calmer weather won’t last long, the Met Office has said. In some parts of the country, the hot weather will return in full force this Sunday, though temperatures will not reach the levels seen last week.
This comes following the highest June temperature being recorded last week. The Met Office said thermometers hit 37.7 °C in Lingwood, near Norwich, on Friday, making it the provisional hottest June temperature in 50 years.
Graham Madge, a Met Office climate spokesperson, said: “For three consecutive days last week, the UK June temperature record was exceeded. The heat was widely dispersed across southern England from Somerset to Norfolk. On Friday, the heat became focused more in the east of England.
“The last record lasted for 50 years, but it is inevitable that with a warming climate, this record won’t last as long.”
“If this provisional record passes the necessary quality control checks, then this will be the new all-time high UK temperature record.
Although record-breaking temperatures were hit last week, the next heatwave will be much more manageable for Brits.
Neil Armstrong, Met Office chief forecaster, said: “With last week’s heat behind us, there will be much relief for many this week as we are forecasting a pleasant week of summer with temperatures in the low to mid 20s°C for many.”
Met Office deputy chief forecaster, Tony Wisson, explained that high temperatures are predicted once again this weekend.
He said: “Toward the weekend, high pressure will continue to build in across most of the UK as it extends from the Azores. This will lead to more settled, warm or very warm conditions for many, especially across England and Wales, though some rain may still affect the far north.”
Wisson added: “The forecast for this weekend suggests that temperatures could approach high 20s°C across parts of England, perhaps 30°C in parts of the southeast, with values of mid to high 20s°C in Wales.
“Although a return to heatwave conditions is looking increasingly likely for some areas, the likelihood of such extreme high temperatures or high levels of humidity as last week is currently low.”