Temperatures have slowly been creeping up through spring and while there have been rumblings of a heatwave approaching the UK, the Met Office has explained exactly whether we can expect some scorching weather soon. Temperatures are set to increase during this week rising from around 16°C on Monday to 18°C by the weekend in parts of Wales.
While there have been some reports of a 35°C 'African plume' heatwave, BBC forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker said on the BBC Countryfile forecast on Sunday (May 14): "There is an area of high pressure bringing a lot of dry weather around and there will be a gentle rise in the temperature from a little below the average to a little on the average for the time of year by the end of the week. At the moment no prolonged warmth on the way."
And reports about a heatwave hitting the UK anytime soon have been further debunked by the Met Office, who have explained exactly what has to happen to constitute warm weather officially being considered a heatwave. You can get more weather news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
Read more: Met Office has its say on reports of 35°C 'African plume' heatwave hitting UK
Explaining on social media, the forecaster said that "it’s only an official heatwave if it reaches a specific temperature threshold three days running. No, we’re not going to reach those figures this week, though it will feel pleasant in the sunshine for many."
It went on to add: "This week will see plenty of sunshine and warmth for many, especially in the south." However, it explained that due to the inconsistencies in temperatures over a four day period it will not be considered a heatwave, despite temperatures reaching around 20C for some.
It went on to say: "There’s speculation around if/when we’ll see heatwaves in summer. In short, it’s too early to be definitive about when we’ll see heatwaves."
Met Office operational meteorologist Tom Morgan added: "We are currently forecasting temperatures of 22 or 23°C later this week in parts of the UK. These may exceed the current highest temperature of 2023 so far which currently stands at 22.6°C, recorded at Virginstow, Devon, on Saturday (May 13).
"As for 35°C “African Plumes” – there are currently no indications of any hot weather in the UK during the next two weeks. There’s a chance of some warm weather, especially in western areas of the UK, but temperatures in the low to mid 20s are most likely, which is fairly typical for the time of year."
The Met Office long-range forecast for the whole of this weekend says: "Into the weekend a high-pressure ridge is most likely to extend across the UK, resulting in a good amount of fine and dry weather for most. Into the next week, a continuation of these settled conditions is expected, with fine and dry weather for many.
"The greatest chance of rain or showers is for the far northwest and southeast. Winds staying generally light, although possibly a bit stronger in the far south, southeast and northwest. Temperatures most likely above average overall, although most likely closer to average in the southeast of the UK."
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