New weather maps have pinpointed the exact date a lick of heat will cross the English Channel and cause temperatures to surge into the 20C range. The next few days, forecasters believe, will see most of Europe, including the UK, remain comparatively cold for late spring.
Chilly single-figure lows will reach 4C and below in parts of Germany, France, Italy and even Spain, with the Alps seeing the mercury plummet to the minus range.
People living in mainland Europe may need to prepare for a complete reversal of those conditions in just a few short days, with charts showing a plume of heat gripping the continent from April 31.
Over the following few days, that heat is expected to move west, bringing 21C highs to parts of southeast England. Maps from WXCharts show temperatures at two metres – surface level – starting to rise in Europe this coming Friday, with single figures giving way to 12C highs.
Over the coming days, forecasts predict the mercury will continually increase, reaching 24C in Frankfurt by April 29 and between 20C and 24C in Italy by May 1.
The flare of heat will make its way to England on Saturday, May 4, charts from Netweather predict, stoking temperatures to 21C in the southeast around London.
Elsewhere in the south, the provider expects between 16C and 18C highs, while northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland will likely see comparable warmth.
While it could be hot, forecasters agree the weather won’t quite make it into “heatwave territory”.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Jim Dale, the founder of and chief forecaster at British Weather Services, said there is only a “tentative” indication of warmer weather.
“There is a path to warmer weather around then, but it’s tentative and not really in the heatwave category.
“NW Europe continues by-enlarge to be the odd man out, even though it will, by then, be notably warmer than it is now.”
“However, any very pleasant weather will tend to be transient and patience (although wearing thin) will need to be stretched that bit longer!”
The conditions also won’t meet the Met Office heatwave definition, which comes with strict parameters.
The agency specifies that heatwaves only occur when a UK location records three consecutive days where the daily maximum temperature meets or exceeds its heatwave threshold.
These differ across the country, but maximums are only between 25C and 28C, several degrees higher than the anticipated 16 to 21C.
