A heatwave is expected to hit parts of the UK this week, with temperatures potentially reaching up to 34°C in some areas, the Met Office has warned.
Much of central and southern England is likely to meet official heatwave criteria by midweek, with the hottest conditions expected on Tuesday.
In Harrow, the highest temperature is expected to be around 32°C, most likely on Tuesday, before remaining above average through the rest of the week.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Tom Crabtree said: “Warmth is the focus in the forecast in the first half of this week, with temperatures likely to peak on Tuesday around the mid-30s, but remaining above average in the second half of the week, particularly further to the southeast.
“The exception to the widely warm conditions will be northwest Scotland on Monday, where showers will be more frequent. Warmth will develop there from Tuesday with temperatures peaking in the mid to high 20s.”
The Met Office says its heatwave criteria – where a specific threshold must be exceeded for three consecutive days – are expected to be met by Wednesday for much of southern and central England.
Alongside the high daytime temperatures, warm nights are also forecast in southeastern parts of the UK early in the week, with a chance of a ‘tropical night’ in some areas – where temperatures stay above 20°C overnight.
There is also a risk of rain and thunderstorms at times. Mr Crabtree said: “Outbreaks of rain, some of which could be thundery, are possible in southern and western areas for a time on Monday evening spreading north and east through the night, though this will be fairly hit-and-miss and for many the weather will be a dry and warm day.
“While there’s a fair degree of uncertainty at this range, the main signal for more frequent thundery showers arrives from the south late on Wednesday and into Thursday. The risk of showers spreads north and west on Thursday, potentially bringing some fairly wet weather to Scotland, northwest England and parts of Wales through the day.”
After Thursday’s unsettled spell, high pressure is expected to bring largely dry and sunny conditions into next weekend, although isolated thunderstorms remain possible in southern areas.
Chris Mitchell is the founder and editor of Harrow Online, Harrow’s leading local news platform.
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