How long will the UK heatwave last?
Heatwave conditions are expected across the UK bank holiday weekend as the hottest May day on record could arrive on Monday.
Temperatures are expected to reach 33C in southern England and the Midlands on Monday; This is higher than the UK’s current May temperature record of 32.8C.
Highs of 28C are expected in parts of south-east England on Friday, before rising above 30C in parts of England and Wales in the following days.
In the UK, a heatwave is officially recorded when an area experiences at least three consecutive days in which temperatures exceed or exceed the region’s heatwave threshold.
Steve Kocher, deputy head of forecasting at the Met Office, said: “May and spring UK temperature records are likely to be broken over the bank holiday weekend, with forecast temperatures exceeding the current record of 32.8C.”
Heat health warnings have been issued for much of the Midlands, the east of England and the South East ahead of the heatwave.
Yellow alerts from the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) came into force on Friday morning, while authorities warned that hot weather could cause minor disruption to health and social care services until Wednesday.
How long will the heatwave forecast last?
After the heat wave expected on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, temperatures are expected to start falling on Tuesday. The UK is still expected to see highs of 30C in the afternoon.
The highest temperature on Wednesday is expected to be in the South West and South Wales and reach 27 degrees in the afternoon.
Deputy chief forecaster Greg Wolverson said: “There will be a period of very warm weather across much of the UK over the weekend and next week.
“High pressure will dominate the weather in the UK over the bank holiday weekend and this should bring good, stable conditions to most areas.
“Parts of north-west Scotland will be the exception to this, where it will be cooler and cloudier with some rain at times. There is also a small risk of thunder in the south from late Friday into Saturday.”
Meteorology’s weekend forecast is as follows:
Friday
A largely sunny day in England and Wales, with the potential for light clouds to affect the west coast. In Scotland and Northern Ireland it is cloudier, with occasional rain but also sunny. It’s warm for most people, warmer towards the southeast.
Saturday
Although it was a largely sunny day, northwest Scotland, Northern Ireland and some other west coast areas were generally cloudier, with some drizzle. Another very hot day for most.
Sunday to Tuesday
The region is dry and gets plenty of sunshine, while the far northwest region is cloudier and occasionally rainy. It has the potential to be very hot or very hot during the day and hot at night.
