UK weather: heatwave forecast for this week with highs of 35ºC

Temperatures are expected to build throughout the week and peak next Friday and Saturday

People on the beach in Bournemouth during the record heatwave in July. PA
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The UK will this week experience another heatwave, which will last longer than July’s record-breaking hot spell, with highs of up to 35ºC expected, forecasters have said.

Temperatures are not expected to reach last month’s 43ºC but the dry weather will continue over a “prolonged period”, the Meteorological Office has said.

As high pressure builds over the coming week, it will bring sunshine and dry conditions to much of the country.

Parts of north-west Scotland may be cloudier and breezier up to Wednesday, but fine weather is expected for all areas of the country later in the week.

Sunday brought sunshine for most of Britain, with a high of 28.1ºC recorded in Frittenden, Kent.

“It will be a lot of sunshine for a vast majority of the UK and also temperatures rising day after day," said Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan.

“Not everyone will initially see those sunny conditions, but towards the end of the week even Scotland and Northern Ireland will join the rest of the UK in having generally fine, sunny and very warm if not hot conditions.

“It does look like a prolonged period of dry weather and obviously that’s bad news for southern England, where some rain would really be useful now.

“In terms of temperatures, we’re looking at them build from 28ºC or 29ºC tomorrow, to the low to mid-30s from Thursday onwards, so a fairly widespread heatwave developing across the UK this week.

“The peak of the temperatures look likely to occur on Friday or Saturday.”

Heatwave in the UK – in pictures

Mr Morgan said the West Midlands and west country could have the highest temperatures, with a maximum of about 35ºC predicted, but that this was still uncertain.

“The heatwave we saw at the end of July, that was relatively short-lived and saw exceptionally high, record-breakingly high temperatures," he said.

“We’re quite confident temperatures will not go as high as they did during July, but the difference is that this is going to be quite a prolonged period of temperatures in the low 30s, so it will be very notable.

“Heatwave criteria are likely to be met across many parts of the UK and there will no doubt be some adverse impacts from heatwave exhaustion, dehydration and so on.

"So we do anticipate some potentially adverse effects to the NHS [National Health Service] and more vulnerable people having heat-related problems through this period of time.”

The Met Office has urged people to follow precautions to avoid becoming overheated, including closing curtains and windows during the day and avoiding the midday sun.

Fires break out in UK during heatwave - in pictures

Meanwhile, Environment Secretary George Eustice urged more water companies to impose hosepipe bans during an unusually dry August.

Mr Eustice said some companies had already “rightly” taken action to mitigate the effects of the prolonged dry weather.

His remarks, the first public intervention by ministers, indicate possible restrictions on watering gardens, washing cars or filling pools with hosepipes for millions more people across southern England.

Southern Water has already imposed a hosepipe ban for customers in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, followed exactly a week later for South East Water customers in Kent and Sussex.

Welsh Water has also announced a ban for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire later this month.

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Updated: August 08, 2022, 5:58 AM