Met Office’s verdict on rising ‘scorching and humid sunshine’ as scorching 30C temps loom
Brits have been issued with yellow heat alerts by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). But some areas are expected to be hit with rain and overcast weather as well as humidity
The weather is set to turn hot again(Image: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire)
The Met Office has issued an explanation as Brits were hit with another weather warning. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat alerts but some parts of the country are expected to have more unsettled weather.
The alerts – which mean minor impacts are likely across health and care services – cover the East Midlands, the east of England, London and the South East. They are currently in place from 3pm on Wednesday until 8pm on Monday June 22 – with the Met Office warning temperatures in the South East specifically could reach heatwave criteria by the weekend.
“Friday is likely to see very warm, locally hot conditions for south-east and some eastern areas of England, with higher humidity and the chance of a few thunderstorms,” a spokesperson for UKHSA said on Monday.
“There is considerable uncertainty for the duration of the very warm conditions however, as a weak weather front moving east into Saturday may bring slightly lower temperatures and fresher conditions.
“However, there is the potential that the weather front stalls toward the South East allowing very warm or hot conditions to linger across, or near to the far south or South East, perhaps then becoming more extensive again into the following week.”
Meanwhile, the Met Office weather forecast for Wednesday warned of a “cloudy start with some rain or drizzle.” It is expected to turn “brighter in the north and northwest with scattered showers”.
Some warm bright spells are expected to develop towards the southeast while it will remain humid in the south.
From Thursday to Sunday, the Met Office said there will be “Plenty of dry weather in the south with increasing amounts of hot and humid sunshine, and a risk of thunderstorms”. There will also be “more changeable elsewhere with spells of rain and average temperatures.”
Jonathan Vautrey, meteorologist at the Met Office, warned rising temperatures and humidity will likely come with overcast skies for many. “By Friday there is potential for 30C across parts of south-eastern England,” Mr Vautrey said.
“The exact detail of the temperatures is going to be dependent on cloud amounts, because, whilst it is going to be warmer this coming week, there’s actually going to be a reasonable amount of cloud around at times as well – so it’s not going to be sort of wall to wall sunshine every day.
“But those temperatures are going to be rising nonetheless,” Mr Vautrey added, “and with that, it’s also going to be increasingly humid this time around.
“So I think people will certainly be noticing how muggy it starts to feel during the second half of this weekend, and some quite uncomfortable nights for sleeping well, with overnight temperatures in the high teens across south-eastern areas of England.”
By the end of the week, the West Midlands, parts of the West Country, and areas of Wales are likely to experience warm temperatures around the mid-teens, Mr Vautrey said.
Scotland and Northern Ireland, however, are expected to see more cloudy weather and rain over the course of the week, with temperatures in those parts of the UK unlikely to rise above 20C to 21C.
According to the UKHSA website, a yellow heat health alert means there is likely to be a “greater risk to life of vulnerable people” and an “increased use of healthcare services” by this same demographic.
There is also an “increased potential for indoor environments to become very warm” and a likely rise in waterrelated incidents, including “risks from coldwater shock and drowning”.
