London could be in for an official heatwave as the city is set to bask in temperatures as high as 29C in coming days as the school summer holidays get underway.
Following a wet spring and start to the summer, Londoners are in for a prolonged period of sunshine and dry weather, the Met Office forecasts.
After a cloudy day on Saturday, temperatures are set to reach 27C on Sunday, which is forecast to bring plenty of sunshine.
The mercury is then expected to reach a high of 29C on Monday and Tuesday. Monday is expected to bring more sunshine, while Tuesday could see some cloudy spells.
Temperatures are forecast to hit the high 20s throughout the week next week, only dropping to as low as around 18C.
The Met Office defines a heatwave as “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.”
In the UK, a heatwave is declared when daily temperatures meet or exceed a certain temperature for at least three consecutive days. In London, the heatwave threshold is 28C.
The impending spell of hot weather comes after Met Office analysis showed the UK is seeing, on average, hotter and wetter weather amid the growing impact of climate change.
The UK had its warmest May and spring on record this year, despite wet, dull conditions for many parts of the country.
The Met Office State Of The UK Climate 2023 report, published on Thursday, shows last year was another unprecedented one in terms of extreme weather events across the UK.
In the UK, 2023 was the second warmest year on record and brought storms, flooding, intense heatwaves and rising sea levels - with only 2022 warmer.
It was 0.8C above the 1991 to 2020 average and 1.66C above the average for 1961 to 1990.
But 2023 will be a “cool year” compared to 2100 under predicted trajectories for the warming planet.
The Government’s plan to adapt to the risks posed by climate change is currently being challenged in the High Court, by campaigners who claim the Tory administration’s July 2023 National Adaptation Programme (NAP) fails to properly respond to 61 climate change risks.
