Hot summer sunshine for this weekend and beyond
For a little while now, I’ve been mentioning that the prospects for fine weather this year are better compared to recent years, with the Azores high playing a much bigger role.
Following a brief spell of unsettled weather earlier this week, high pressure is going to build across the UK today and stay over us for quite some time – a week and possibly longer.
As a result of this, we are on course to see our longest spell of hot summer weather since July 2006, when 28C was recorded in the UK every day for a fortnight.
Whilst the heat may not quite surpass the impressive longevity of July 2006, there are signs that the fine weather will be with most of us for a week, if not a little longer.
The cause of this long awaited warmth and sunshine is the position of the jet stream. It’s going to move well to the north of the UK in the coming days, steering low pressure and rain towards Iceland and Scandinavia, leaving us to bask under blue skies.
How hot will it get?
The focus of the highest temperature in the next seven days will always be across England and Wales, with highs of 23-29C inland. Coastal areas will be cooler as sea breezes develop, with 18-24C more likely.
Scotland and Northern Ireland will generally see temperatures in the range of 18-23C, with a few places reaching 25C. The reason for lower temperatures here is that occasionally, weak weather fronts will bring a bit more cloud and a little rain.
UV and pollen levels
UV levels are going to be high during the next week, as the sun sits high in the sky overhead.
What is really worth emphasising is that even it feels cooler with a refreshing breeze, the UV levels will remain high as they are not temperature dependent – so don’t get caught out and burn!
If you sufferer from hay fever, you probably won’t be happy to hear the pollen levels are likely to high or very high for most places during the next week.
How long is the fine weather going to last?
At the moment, there are signs that the sunshine and heat will continue for many through this weekend and the whole of next week.
However, there may be weather fronts around the periphery of the high pressure making enough progress towards us to bring more cloud and some showers across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
One other thing to watch next week will be areas of sea fog that may affect coastal areas, but at this stage, it’s too early to say to what extent they are going to occur.
Don’t forget, you can stay up to date on how hot it is going to get where you are on the website. I’d also love to see your summer sunshine pictures, so please send them to me on Twitter – @liamdutton