Brits in for 27C heatwave subsequent week as 16 areas to be hotter than Greece – full listing
Temperatures are forecast to soar next week in a potential UK heatwave, with 16 regions expected to be warmer than Greece in May 2026 as spring’s warmth reaches its peak
Warm temperatures are expected across most of the UK(Image: Getty)
Britain is set for a blistering 27C next week as swathes of the country will be hotter than Greece.
Weather charts across the UK are glowing orange as the heat wave approaches. Maps from WXCharts, utilising MetDesk data, reveal that 16 regions will outstrip Greece’s temperatures as the mercury soars into the twenties.
On Friday, May 22, vast portions of England, Scotland and Wales will climb above 20C, with spring’s warmth reaching its peak. The most scorching conditions will hit the capital, with London anticipated to touch 27C just before the weekend arrives, reports the Express. Throughout southern England, temperatures will also settle comfortably in the mid-twenties, with Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk all hitting 25C.
Further north, Cheshire and Manchester are set to enjoy balmy conditions as the thermometer reaches 23C. Scotland’s North East region of Grampian is also predicted to achieve 22C according to the charts.
WXCharts have forecast that Greece’s hottest spot will peak at 25C, meaning numerous English locations will surpass this.
Regions hotter than Greece
South Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
Humber area
Lincolnshire
Northants
Norfolk
Cambridgeshire
Oxfordshire
East Sussex
Berkshire
Surrey
London
Kent
Hertfordshire
Buckinghamshire
Essex
The Met Office’s extended forecast suggests May is poised to turn “rather warm”.
Their outlook for May 17 to 26 reads: “As this period progresses, high pressure is likely to begin to build from the south bringing more in the way of settled weather.
“Temperatures likely cooler than average to begin, but tending to recover as the period progresses, perhaps becoming rather warm by the end of the period, especially in the south.”
If temperatures hover between 25C and 28C, a heatwave could be announced in the UK. The criteria for a heatwave differ throughout the country, with temperatures needing to hit 28C in the south.
Meanwhile, Britain is set to fry in a 40C scorcher this summer but forecasters predict a “super El Niño” could send temperatures soaring even higher next year.
Scientists say the powerful weather pattern is building in the Pacific Ocean and could trigger extreme heat across the globe over the coming months. The Met Office says there is already a 40% chance that this summer could rival the record-breaking heat of 2022 when Britain topped 40C for the first time.
And boffs believe there is now an 82% chance of a “very strong” El Niño developing this year, according to forecasts including the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Climate Specialist Jeff Berardelli warned: “I think we’re going to see weather events that we’ve never seen in modern history before.”
Professor Mark Maslin, of University College London, added: “It’s fair to call this a super El Niño,” predicting it could become one of the strongest ever recorded.
El Niño happens when huge amounts of heat are released from the Pacific Ocean into the atmosphere. The phenomenon usually strikes every few years and can push up global temperatures from autumn into the following summer.
It means next summer could be even hotter than this year’s forecasted record breaker. Previous El Niño events have wreaked havoc on food production worldwide, ruining Russia ’s wheat harvest in 2010 and damaging coffee crops in Brazil.
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