Much of the UK is set to swelter for the rest of this month with the mercury surging above 30C. The searing seat will grip large swathes of the country with baking air from southern Europe and Africa arriving later this week.
However not all of the UK will experience the heat. Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-west England will be enveloped by cloud with fresher winds and pulses of rain and drizzle. There are even reports of temperature records being broken in the coming weeks with suggestions the mercury could top 40C in some parts of southern England and bookies shortening odds on the hottest July ever.
Forecaster Brian Gaze, of The Weather Outlook, said it should start to warm up towards the end of this week: "Thursday is looking dry and bright in much of the UK, but outbreaks of rain continue to be a risk in northern and western Scotland. Warm in southern and eastern Britain.
