Temperatures are set to rise across England and eastern
Wales over the next few days, with some areas expected to reach 26C on
Saturday.
The warmer weather comes after a noticeably more unsettled
period, which has seen rain making a return.
This follows an extraordinary spring, which has
been confirmed as the sunniest on record, external.
With a few days of the season remaining, is a heatwave on
the way for the start of summer?
The forecast higher temperatures are down to a weak ridge of
high pressure that will build over the south of the UK.
In the warmest areas, temperatures are expected to reach 23C
on Thursday, climbing to 25C on Friday and 26C on Saturday.
Is this a heatwave? To officially classify as one,
temperatures must exceed a specific threshold for three
consecutive days. This threshold varies across the UK by region but typically
ranges between 25C and 28C (77F to 82F).
We probably will not see temperatures reach the heatwave
threshold anywhere, and certainly not for three consecutive days - therefore it
is definitely not going to be a heatwave.
The highest temperature recorded this May also
looks well out of reach.
Well, is it a mini-heatwave then? Meteorologists do not have
an official definition for a "mini-heatwave," so it is not a term we
use to describe the weather. We would be more likely to refer to it as "a
few warm days".
Meanwhile low pressure will continue to bring rain and
showers to northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland over the next few
days. Temperatures will remain slightly above the May average, and it will feel
pleasant whenever the Sun breaks through the clouds.
Is a June heatwave on the way?
June is the first month of meteorological summer, so it is
not unusual to have hot spells of weather.
We may see some hot air move in from Europe around 10 June,
potentially pushing temperatures into the high 20s or low 30s.
However, it is far too early to say for certain, as this
forecast looks nearly two weeks ahead.
Any hot weather could also come with the risk of some big
thunderstorms. We will be keeping an eye on how the forecast evolves over the
next week or so to narrow down these details.
