People sunbathing on Primrose Hill, north London
(Picture: Getty Images)London is set for another scorcher on Tuesday as the mercury is expected to rise above 30C for a second day running.
It comes after temperatures hit 32C in west London on Monday, with the Met Office issuing an amber weather warning for extreme heat across much of the UK for the week.
With a heatwave sweeping across the country, forecasters have warned that temperatures could climb to 35C by Sunday and even higher next week.
Looking at the week ahead, Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said: “We are above average across the board by quite a distance, a good minimum 5C above average.
“We have had a number of places across eastern Wales and central/southern England that have been 30C or above for today.
“Tonight is not going to be great either, particularly down East Midlands and Yorkshire area, places there tonight don’t look as if they will drop below 20C, very uncomfortable.
“Technically, if we don’t drop below 20C overnight that is classed as a tropical night, so parts of Yorkshire – which sounds ridiculous – are going to have a tropical night tonight.
“The next few days are slightly less hot, we have a very weak cold front coming across the country tomorrow that will reduce temperatures a little bit.
“So tomorrow we will be looking slightly less, probably around 31C and then the next few days after that will be high 20s – around 27-28C.
“And then around Saturday the temperature will start building back up again.
“Parts of south-east England could exceed 35C on Sunday, with 32C quite widely across the warning area.
“At the moment, we are looking at a 30% chance of seeing the hottest temperature recorded in the UK, if that does happen we will have to record higher than 38.7C – which was back in 2019 in Cambridge.”
He added that Monday next week would be “similar” adding that “35C-plus is possible for the South East”.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for extreme heat across a large part of the UK ahead of further soaring temperatures this week.
The warning is in place from midnight on Sunday, July 17 to 11.59pm, when temperatures are predicted to soar into the 30s, but the forecaster added it could be extended to Monday next week.
It is being enforced across the East Midlands, East of England, London, South East, North East, North West, South West, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire and Humber.
Meanwhile, a Level 3 UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Heat Health Alert is in place for southeastern areas this week, and a Level 2 alert for much of the rest of England.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said: “Heat-health alerts have now been issued to the majority of the country, with temperatures set to remain consistently high throughout the duration of this week.
“Most of us can enjoy the hot weather when it arrives, but it is important to keep yourself hydrated and to find shade where possible when UV rays are strongest, between 11am and 3pm.
“If you have vulnerable family, friends and neighbours, make sure they are aware of how they can keep themselves protected from the warm weather.’’
Wales recorded its hottest day of the year so far on Monday, with 28.7C in Cardiff’s Bute Park on Monday, while England fell just short of setting a new warmest mark after highs of 32C were seen in Northolt in the afternoon.
England’s hottest temperature so far this year remains the 32.7C recorded at Santon Downham, a village in Suffolk, on June 17, the Met Office said.
Elsewhere, Aboyne in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, basked in 27.5C and it was 24.2C in Armagh, Northern Ireland.
