The Met Office has given its verdict on reports of a 41C scorching heatwave that could be on the cards for the UK next week.
For the first time ever, a supercomputer model suggested the mercury could surpass 40C from July 11 onwards in a potentially historic moment for the nation.
One model from The Weather Outlook forecast astonishing highs of 40C in Bristol on July 14 and a blistering 41C in London two days later.
If such temperatures do come to pass, they would exceed the highest ever recorded in the UK at 38.7C in Cambridge on July 25, 2019.
And, while Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth cast doubt over the extreme forecast, she revealed Brits will still be basking in temperatures above 30C at the start of the week, specifically on Monday and Tuesday.
She told the Mirror: "The most likely situation for next week is temperatures in the low 30s. Further ahead there's a lot less confidence - those high temperatures could stay for the rest of next week but could also possibly cool down again."
Referring to the rest of this week, she said: "We're expecting a warm spell for the rest of this week and over the weekend. Many areas will remain dry and sunny as high pressure dominates the weather for much of the UK.
"This will allow temperatures to increase day on the day for the rest of the week and over the weekend. It will be in the mid to high 20s in central and southern areas over the weekend."
Meteorologist Aidan McGivern also had good news for sun-seeking Brits, saying next week will be hotter than usual and it's unclear just how far above average the temperatures will be. Meanwhile, he urged caution over the astonishing 41C forecast.
He said: "Meteorologists don't just pick one or two computer model runs, we look at many different computer model runs to get the full picture of the likely weather trends, the range of possible temperatures and the kinds of uncertainties we're dealing with when looking at the weather more than a week ahead.
"And these kinds of things can be shown on a temperature trend graph here called a meteogram, and this shows London for the next couple of weeks.
"The couple of things worth pointing out on here is the red line here showing the average temperature for daytime highs and the boxes showing the likely range of temperatures predicted by the European model. Not just one run, but 50 or so.
"And as we go further out, the boxes get bigger, indicating more uncertainty of course. But what's notable is that the boxes from the middle of this week are all above the red line. So that indicates that we have high confidence that it will warm up in London and those temperatures will be above average later this week and throughout much of next week.
"But it's into next week where those boxes become really quite large. There are some models that are predicting very high temperatures, while others are predicting just above average.
"So what we can say for the likes of London and more especially across the southern half of the UK is that we'll see a warming trend through this week and into next week. Temperatures will be above average, but just how far above average those temperatures end up, well, that is open to uncertainty at the moment."
The Met Office forecaster added: "So a lot of uncertainty about the numbers of those temperatures next week, but the trends are clear. It's turning drier, brighter and warmer in many places."
The Weather Outlook founder and meteorologist Brian Gaze explained that the estimates only represent a possibility and can change multiple times until the actual event occurs.
The predictions come from the Global Ensemble Forecast System which is run by the National Centres for Environmental Prediction.
"These computer models showing possible scenarios are run by forecasting centres hundreds of times a day," he told the Express.
"We can’t be specific when we are looking more than a week ahead, but, at the top end, some of these models have shown extremely hot conditions of up to 41C.
"It's certainly the first time that I've seen a computer model show 40C degrees in the UK.
"At the moment, the current prediction models for the same period of time show temperatures within the low 30s."
Furthermore, July could end up being the hottest month ever on record as experts predict a four-week heatwave with temperatures soaring into the 30s.
Southern Europe has seen blistering weather that is "extremely hotter than usual" in recent weeks which has led to a rise in UK temperatures, according to Gaze.
The Met Office confirmed that high pressure is now building across the southern half of the UK which will bring dry and sunny weather to the south and east of England.
Experts predict temperatures will slowly rise day on day, into the mid to late 20s, reaching possible highs of 30C by this weekend.
While unsettled conditions are more likely in the north with some showers possible.
Deputy Chief Meteorologist Rebekah Sherwin said: "The influence of the high pressure is likely to continue across southern areas into the second week of July and at times could be more widespread."
She added: "Temperatures are expected to be widely above average, especially across the south, with some areas seeing maxima in the high 20s, locally 30C by this weekend.
"Beyond that, the forecast becomes more uncertain and, while it may well continue warm, the extent, magnitude and duration of these above-average temperatures are not clear at this stage and won’t be known until closer to the time."
