UK’s fourth heatwave of summer to hit within days after weekend of cooler temperatures, says Met Office
The fourth heatwave of the summer will hit the UK in the next few days after a colder weekend.
Temperatures are expected to rise again in the south after rain for many on Sunday.
Parts of southern England will meet heatwave criteria again on Wednesday, with the highest temperature expected to be 32 or 33C.
Other areas will reach the threshold on Thursday.
Forecasters expect this week’s temperatures to be a “north-south divide” with clouds and rain continuing across Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England.
Met Office senior operational meteorologist Dan Stroud said the heatwave should be short-lived, with temperatures likely to cool to near average by the end of the week.
According to provisional Met Office data, July was 3 degrees above average across the UK.
Mr Stroud said this could be among the three or four hottest months of July.
Southern England experienced just 1 per cent of July’s average rainfall. According to the Met Office, the UK’s share was 5 percent and the UK as a whole was 20 percent.
Mr Stroud said: “From a bushfire perspective, continuing dry, hot conditions obviously increases the risk of fire.
“Although the rain we have had has been a welcome one over the last few hours, it is certainly not a huge amount for the dry conditions we already have. That risk remains.”
If they start, the fires are expected to become exceptionally intense across parts of the east, south-east and south of England on Sunday, according to Met Office data used by Natural England and Natural Resources Wales.
This “extraordinarily serious” level of risk disappears for the whole country before returning to wider eastern, southern and south-eastern England on Wednesday.
It will then focus on the east and south-east of England on Thursday.
The Fire Severity Index looks at data such as precipitation, temperature and humidity.
Agencies use it to assess the severity of a fire should it start. It does not cover the possibility of forest fires occurring.
Emergency crews spent days battling huge fires in Wales and Scotland that forced people to evacuate their homes.
Mr Stroud emphasized that the Fire Severity Index measures humidity and that drier air increases the risk of fire.
The second heatwave was particularly humid, which “reduces the risk somewhat”.
The last heatwave was drier and longer lasting, and humidity levels are expected to drop when the fourth heatwave arrives.
