The UK is set to escape the hellish 40C heatwave currently scorching large parts of Europe and experience “a very unsettled, windy weekend” as a jet stream pushes low-pressure weather systems towards British shores, while at the same time leading to a high-pressure system being pushed southwards.
The UK is not likely to experience another heatwave this summer, despite the rest of the continent baking in sweltering temperatures well over 40C.
Met Office forecasters have assured Britons that there is a “below average” chance of a summer hot spell as there is no sign of the Cerberus heatwave hitting the country.
This comes as temperatures are expected to be slightly below average this July, Met Office’s Rachel Ayers revealed.
She added that while the mercury is set to pick up slightly in August, it may still remain lower than average.
Temperatures in the south of England are expected to linger around the low 20s, with some coastal areas experiencing chillier temperatures and Scotland is set to be in the mid to high teens.
This comes as Italy is preparing for its first major heatwave of the year, known as the Cerberus heatwave, which is expected to bring scorching temperatures.
The Italian Meteorological Service predicts that temperatures could reach up to 48C in some areas, particularly in Sardinia and Sicily.
Popular cities like Rome, Milan, Naples, and Venice are anticipated to experience temperatures of around 37C, while the northern plains near the Po valley may reach up to 38C.
In response to the extreme heat, Italy’s health ministry has issued heat warnings and placed cities such as Bologna, Florence, Rome, and Perugia under level 3, the highest category, until Friday.
Met Office meteorologist Rebekah Sherwin explained that this intense heat is caused by a persistent high-pressure system situated over the affected regions.
She said: “Heatwave conditions already occurring across much of southern Europe, north-west Africa and the Middle East are expected to continue through the coming week.
“Peak temperatures – which are around 10 to 15C higher than average – could reach the mid-40s degrees Celsius in parts of southern Europe and up to 50C in parts of North Africa. Higher than average temperatures are also likely at times further north across Europe, but these will be shorter-lived and less impactful.
“The high temperatures are being driven by an established high-pressure system that is sat across the region, allowing temperatures to build day by day. Unusually high sea surface temperatures are also occurring across the region, with many parts of the Mediterranean seeing surface temperatures as high as 25 to 28C. This will exacerbate the effects of the heat over surrounding land areas, as even in coastal regions overnight temperatures are unlikely to drop much below the mid-20s Celsius.
“The southern shift of the jet stream that has pushed the high pressure southwards across this region has also led to low-pressure systems being directed into the UK, bringing more unsettled and cooler weather here than we experienced in June when the jet stream was at a more northerly latitude.”
