The UK is set to sizzle this weekend, with the Met Office warning of increased humidity, 30C surges and a seven-hour risk of thunderstorms. The forecaster is predicting this Saturday, June 10 as being the hottest day of 2023 with humidity ramping up, thanks to a plume from the continent. It means the UK will actually be hotter than holiday hotspots such as Tenerife, Ibiza and the Costa del Sol in mainland Spain.
With nearly all of Britain ready for the heat, the Met Office has told Express.co.uk exactly which areas are most likely to bake. Spokesman Oliver Claydon said: “We’re forecasting Saturday will be the hottest day of this warm spell, with highs of 30C.
“This peak is expected in the area between London and the Midlands. This means counties such as Hertfordshire, Essex, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire will be among some of the hottest from midday on Saturday.”
“Maximum temperatures will slowly increase today and tomorrow with 25C in South West England and Wales today and 28C in Western England and Wales tomorrow,” Mr Claydon added.
“After Saturday the temperatures slowly decline, with 29C forecast on Sunday in South and South East England and 28C on Monday again in South and South East England.”
In to next week, the high pressure moves back in place bringing more settled weather with temperatures expected to be in the mid to high 20Cs.
The sweltering heat will break from time-to-time over the weekend with thunderstorms, according to the Met Office, with large swathes of England and Wales under a seven hour yellow weather warning on Saturday.
Storms are set to sporadically strike between 2pm and 9pm on the day. The warning adds: “High temperatures developing across parts of England and Wales on Saturday are expected to trigger a scattering of showers across this area, some of which are likely to be torrential and thundery, bringing 30-40mm in an hour.
“The odd place affected by multiple showers could see more than this, perhaps in excess of 60mm. As well as rain, hail, strong gusts of wind, and lightning will be additional hazards.
“Despite all of this, many places in the warning area will remain dry, or only see small amounts of rain, due to the well-scattered nature of the heaviest showers.”
READ MORE: Met Office issues three day heat alert for England as six regions set for 26C
It warns of potential power outages in some places, flash flooding and potential damage caused by lightning strikes.
The forecaster, coupled with the UK Health Security Agency, has also issued a yellow heat health alert which comes into place tomorrow, for three days.
It earmarks the health impact on vulnerable people and those who may suffer more adversely in the heat, and it also serves as a warning to care agencies that such extreme temperatures are on their way.
The yellow alert is two away from a national emergency, and one below an amber alert – which was used last year during the unprecedented heatwave in July.
Will this weekend be classified as a heatwave?
The short answer is that temperatures are most certainly hot enough to meet heatwave thresholds. London and areas of the south east must be recording highs of 28C and above for three consecutive days to officially be classed as a heatwave.
This threshold is lower for areas of the north, with highs of 25C required. The Met Office is confirming 30C heat will begin to gently slide from Sunday, but the heat will still be prominent as ever with highs of 29C predicted.
On Monday, the mercury is set to decrease further, but it’s not yet clear by how much. If thermometers remain within the 28C region, it could well mean that 2023 has seen its first heatwave of the year.
