Baking 34C temperatures in the Netherlands, Belgium and others in Europe later this month will also make the mercury jump in the UK, with some areas forecast to have 26C conditions
A heatwave spreading across Europe later this month is set to drag hot conditions over parts of the UK, according to weather maps.
Many parts of the country are enduring a miserable Tuesday evening, with rainfall over the south east and scattered showers elsewhere. Mountain areas of Scotland are even threatened with snowfall as the weather continues to make a mockery of the time of year.
However, conditions will shortly improve a little thanks to a period of hot weather in Europe, as the Netherlands and Belgium are preparing for conditions of around 34C. As a result, London and the east coast of the UK – including Norwich and Ipswich – will warm up to around 24C on Sunday, June 16. The Midlands could also bask in hotter temperatures with Birmingham warming to 22C.
The Met Office forecast for the period reads: “A build of pressure will probably bring settled conditions across the country as a whole for a few days after this, with dry conditions prevailing and periods of sunshine.
“Toward the following weekend, these dry conditions may start to decline with a greater chance that more unsettled weather could develop. Should this happen, the wettest conditions are likely to be in the north and west, with the driest weather in the south and east.
“There is still a chance that drier conditions could remain in place more widely. Temperatures are likely to be near or slightly below average at first, perhaps slightly above normal later.”
It comes as the Met Office revealed May 2024’s average mean temperature of 13.1C for the UK beat 2008’s previous record of 12.1C. The record was boosted by above-average temperatures in the northern half of the UK, with Scotland’s May mean temperature of 12.3C beating 2018’s previous record by 1.6C.
England and Northern Ireland also set a mean temperature record for the month of May, while Wales equalled its figure from 2008. A Met Office Spokesperson said: “While it may not have felt like it for many, with sunshine in relatively short supply, provisional figures show May was the warmest on record in our series back to 1884.
“This warmth was especially influenced by high overnight temperatures, with the average UK minimum temperature for May 1.2°C higher than the previous record. Rainfall was above average for the UK, while some areas in the south saw over a third more rain than average. In contrast, Northern Ireland and Scotland were slightly drier than average in the month.”