Temperatures of 30C or higher could hit 38 counties on Saturday, new weather maps show, as the UK braces for another heatwave
Temperatures in parts of England are expected to soar to 30C on Saturday(Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock)
Temperatures could soar to 35C in the upcoming heatwave, with dozens of counties expected to see highs of 30C or more, according to new weather maps.
The Met Office says heatwave conditions are likely to develop next week, with high pressure set to remain the “dominant feature” of the UK weather pattern. Temperatures are expected to climb day by day, with heatwave thresholds likely to be reached across parts of southern and eastern England. Many southern and central areas are forecast to hit the high 20s, and parts of south-east England could reach the low 30s, the forecaster said.
Maximum temperature maps generated by WXCharts, using MetDesk data, suggest swathes of southern England could bake in temperatures of 30C or higher on Saturday, July 11. The maps also show 30C heat spreading into the Midlands and even parts of northern England. London and the Home Counties, along with Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, are expected to be among the hottest areas, with temperatures widely reaching the low 30s and potentially peaking at 35C in Cambridgeshire.
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A maximum temperature map for Saturday, July 11(WXCharts)
The 38 counties set to see temperatures of 30C or above on Saturday, July 11:
Bedfordshire
Berkshire
Bristol
Buckinghamshire
Cambridgeshire
Cheshire
Derbyshire
Dorset
East Sussex
Essex
Gloucestershire
Greater London
Greater Manchester
Hampshire
Herefordshire
Hertfordshire
Kent
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Merseyside
Norfolk
Northamptonshire
Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire
Rutland
Shropshire
South Yorkshire
Staffordshire
Suffolk
Surrey
Tyne and Wear
Warwickshire
West Midlands
West Sussex
West Yorkshire
Wiltshire
Worcestershire
The Met Office says the heat is unlikely to match the intensity of last month’s heatwave, which peaked at 37.7C at Lingwood in Norfolk on June 26. June temperature records were broken on three consecutive days before that peak.
In its long-range outlook for Friday, July 10, to Sunday, July 19, the Met Office says: “Temperatures by day will be widely very warm, hot or even very hot in parts of the south.”
The forecaster says there are signs the heat will ease after the weekend, with conditions returning to more typical summer levels during the week beginning on Monday, July 13.
Northern and western parts of the UK may be unsettled at the start of the period, with heavy rain or thundery showers possible. Dry and very warm weather is then expected across England and Wales, although there remains a risk of thunderstorms moving in from France.
High pressure is expected to build northwards, bringing spells of drier, warmer weather to most of Scotland and Northern Ireland. Winds should generally be light to moderate, but may turn gusty near any thunderstorms.