UK
Hottest day of the year forecast with temperatures to hit 29C today – before thunderstorms end heatwave
The UK is set to enjoy more warm weather this week – and today could be the hottest day of the year so far.
Temperatures in some parts of the South East could reach as high as 29C (84.2F).
The previous hottest day of the year was on 2 June, when temperatures reached 28.3C (82.9F) in Northolt, northwest London.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: “We are forecasting that 29C could be the maximum.
“If we do see that 29C, it would be the warmest day of the year so far and it would be in the South East.
“It will be another day of warm weather and it could be just one degree warmer.”
There will be a north-south split with “very strong sunshine” in parts of England and Wales, but further north it will feel cooler with stronger winds, she said.
The Met Office had predicted Sunday the warmest day of the year but temperatures fell just shy, hitting 28C at Heathrow and St James’s Park in London.
England beat Croatia at Wembley on Sunday afternoon in sweltering heat at Wembley Stadium but Scotland’s opening match against the Czech Republic at Hampden Park in Glasgow on Monday will be much cooler, with the temperature forecast to be 14C (57.2F).
The warm weather will continue on Monday, but cooler spells are expected later this week
However, the warm weather is set to continue for a couple more days before it turns wet with the potential of travel disruption.
Some areas could see “intense thunderstorms” with the risk of flooding, with yellow weather warnings issued for large parts of England and Wales from 6pm on Wednesday until 6am on Friday.
A Met Office spokesman said “torrential rain, hail, frequent lightning and strong gusty winds” could occur during this period.
Raheem Sterling scored the winning goal in England’s opening match in sweltering conditions at Wembley on Sunday afternoon
There is “significant uncertainty” about the specific location and timing of the thunderstorms but they are expected to move north-east across parts of England and Wales.
Some areas could see 30mm of rainfall in an hour, and others 50mm in two to three hours, but these would be fairly isolated occurrences, forecasters said.