UK weather: What is a ‘heat dome’ – and how long will Britain’s hot spell last?
The UK is having a late summer burst of hot weather – while parts of the Mediterranean have been experiencing a phenomenon known as a “heat dome”, forecasters say.
Temperatures in Britain could soar as high as 32C (90F) this week, as much as 4C (39F) higher than Ibiza.
Here, Sky News looks at what is causing the unusually warm conditions in the UK and elsewhere in Europe – and whether we are set for an official heatwave.
People enjoy the hot weather in London’s St James’s Park
What is a heat dome?
A heat dome is loosely defined as an area of high pressure that stays over the same area for days, or even weeks.
Hot air is trapped underneath like a lid on a saucepan, pushing temperatures above what’s normal for the time of year.
The heated air expands upwards into the atmosphere, then high pressure from above acts as a lid, meaning it can’t escape and causes the air to subside or sink – creating a dome effect, the Royal Meteorological Society said.
As the warm air sinks, it compresses and heats up, which then traps more heat underneath and clouds are pushed around it, keeping the heat in even more.
Find out the weather forecast for your area
The Met Office says heat domes encourage temperatures “to keep building day on day”.
However, Sky weather Meteorologist Dr Chris England said the phenomenon “doesn’t really apply to the current heat of the UK”.
He said that while a heat dome “has been relevant to some of the Mediterranean heat”, the high pressure affecting the UK “is well to the east”.
“Instead, the flow around the high pressure is generally from the south over the UK, bringing heat up from the Mediterranean and north Africa,” Dr England added.
The Met Office says tropical storms in the far western Atlantic, and deep areas of low pressure, have helped to amplify the jet stream over the Atlantic Ocean and has led to high pressure “dominating over the UK”.
Is the UK set for an official heatwave?
The word “heatwave“ is often used to describe any period of sunny weather, but the Met Office defines it as “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year”.
It says the UK experiences a heatwave when it has at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold – and this threshold varies by UK county.
Sky weather forecaster Kirsty McCabe said official heatwave conditions “will be met this week as temperatures soar over the next few days with a late blast of summer heat, especially for southern parts of the UK.”
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The peak is likely to occur on Wednesday and Thursday with 31C (88F) or even 32C (90F) possible.
The threshold temperature ranges from 25C (77F) in Scotland and Northern Ireland, to 28C (82F) in London and the Home Counties.
But Ms McCabe said “it’s not just hot weather heading our way, a Saharan dust plume will cross the UK, bringing some spectacular sunrises and sunsets”.
Hitting 30C in September “used to happen around once every seven years or less, but has occurred more frequently in the last decade,” she said.
Could we have the hottest day of the year this week?
This year’s highest temperature is 32.2C (90F) at Chertsey on 10 June and Coningsby on 25 June.
Ms McCabe said: “There is a chance we could exceed that this week [Wednesday or Thursday].”
The highest September temperature ever recorded in the UK was 35.6C (96F) in South Yorkshire in 1906.
Is this an Indian summer?
According to the Met Office Meteorological Glossary, an Indian summer is a warm, calm spell of weather that occurs in autumn, “especially in October and November.”
There is, the Met Office says, no statistical evidence to suggest that such warm spells recur at any particular time each year – warm spells during the autumn months are not uncommon.
How long will the UK’s hot weather last?
The UK Health Security Agency has a yellow alert in place across the whole of England, apart from the North East, until 9pm on 10 September.
Temperatures reached 30C on Monday in southern England and the southeast of Wales, according to the Met Office – and the hot weather will continue through Tuesday, with highs of 31C (88F) expected.
Met Office spokesperson Oli Claydon said: “We will see good sunny conditions through the week with cloudless skies, and some high temperatures by the time we get to Wednesday and Thursday, where we could see 31 maybe 32 degrees.”
The Met Office said temperatures could also hit 31C (88F) on Friday, although there could be more cloudy weather and chances of rain in the far northwest of Scotland.
But the weather conditions could change over the weekend and Mr Claydon said there is “no indication at the moment of another strong heatwave after this”.
He added: “Through the weekend, we start to see some heavy, potentially thundery, showers developing but (they are) only isolated. There is a little bit of uncertainty as we start to get that far ahead.”
Average temperatures are expected to return by the middle of next week.
Fresh appeals have been made for information on what would have been the 20th birthday of Ellis Cox, who was shot dead in Liverpool last June.
A number of people have been arrested in connection with the murder at Liver Industrial Estate, but no one has been charged yet.
The 19-year-old’s family and police have paid tribute to him and called for those with information to come forward.
He was shot in the back after a confrontation between his friends and another group of up to three males on Sunday 23 June.
Ellis Cox who was shot dead in June 2024. Pic: Merseyside Police
His mother Carolyn paid tribute in an appeal to coincide with what would have been his 20th birthday.
“He was so kind… so laid back, so calm, so mature for his age. And he was just funny. Very funny.
“He was my baby… no mum should have to bury a child. He was my life. And I don’t know what to do without him.”
Mum Carolyn Cox (left) and aunt Julie O’Toole (right) are looking for answers
Ellis’ mum described him as ‘kind” and “funny. Pic: Merseyside Police
Meanwhile, his aunt Julie O’Toole said he was “the sort of person I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone to say anything negative about. He was loyal, fiercely loyal… everything was about his family”.
To pay tribute to Ellis, Liverpool City Council will be lighting up the Cunard Building and Liverpool Town Hall in orange on Saturday.
DCI Steve McGrath does not believe Ellis was involved in criminality
Detective Chief Inspector Steve McGrath, the senior investigating officer, spoke about the information gathered so far, six months on from Mr Cox’s murder.
“I’m satisfied that the group that he was with was probably the target… and I would say that’s got something in relation to do with localised drug dealing in that area. But Ellis had no involvement in that whatsoever,” he said.
He added that police are looking for “really significant pieces of evidence now”, including “trying to recover the firearm that was used in relation to this, looking to recover the bikes that were used by the offenders”.
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Mrs Cox also appealed for people to come forward with information.
“If you know anything, don’t let us get to [his] next birthday and still know nothing.
“We need to get justice for Ellis. And we need to get the people who took him from us off the streets.”
Former Manchester United and Scotland footballer Denis Law has died, at the age of 84.
In a statement, his family said: “It is with a heavy heart that we tell you our father Denis Law has sadly passed away. He fought a tough battle, but finally, he is now at peace.
“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to his wellbeing and care, past and much more recently.
“We know how much people supported and loved him and that love was always appreciated and made the difference.”
Denis Law in 2005. Pic: PA
The Aberdeen-born footballer previously announced in August 2021 that he had been diagnosed with dementia.
A prolific striker, Law scored 237 goals in 404 appearances for Manchester United, for whom he signed for a then-British record transfer fee in 1962.
He is the only man to have two statues dedicated to him at Old Trafford – one on the Stretford End concourse, the other as part of the United Trinity statue overlooking the stadium’s forecourt beside fellow great George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton.
Denis Law, third from left, as a statue featuring him alongside Sir Bobby Charlton and George Best – known as the ‘holy trinity’ – was unveiled in 2008. Pic: AP
The only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d’Or award, in 1964, he was also part of United’s triumphant campaign in the 1968 European Cup – in which they became the first English club to ever win the competition.
In a statement, the club said: “Everyone at Manchester United is mourning the loss of Denis Law, the King of the Stretford End, who has passed away, aged 84.
“He will always be celebrated as one of the club’s greatest and most beloved players.
Denis Law, centre, during Manchester United’s triumphant European Cup campaign in 1968. Pic: AP
“The ultimate goalscorer, his flair, spirit and love for the game made him the hero of a generation. Our deepest condolences go out to Denis’s family and many friends. His memory will live on forever more.”
Wayne Rooney, former United captain and the club’s all-time record goalscorer, described Law as a “legend”.
“Thoughts with all Denis’s family and friends,” he said in an online post.
Another former United captain, Gary Neville, said: “A great footballer and a great man. It’s a privilege and an honour to have spent time in your company. The King of the Stretford End.”
A tribute from the Scotland national team said Law was “a true great”.
“We will not see his likes again,” it said.
Law also played for Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, and Italian club Torino during his club career, and made 55 appearances for Scotland, scoring 30 goals for his country.
Manchester City said in a post on X: “The whole of Manchester, including everyone at City, is mourning with you. Rest in peace, Denis.”
The UK’s benchmark stock index has reached another record high.
The FTSE 100 index of most valuable companies on the London Stock Exchange closed at 8,505.69, breaking the record set last May.
It had already broken its intraday high at 8532.58 on Friday afternoon, meaning it reached a high not seen before during trading hours.
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The weakened pound has boosted many of the 100 companies forming the top-flight index.
Why is this happening?
Most are not based in the UK, so a less valuable pound means their sterling-priced shares are cheaper to buy for people using other currencies, typically US dollars.
This makes the shares better value, prompting more to be bought. This greater demand has brought up the prices and the FTSE 100.
The pound has been hovering below $1.22 for much of Friday. It’s steadily fallen from being worth $1.34 in late September.
Also spurring the new record are market expectations for more interest rate cuts in 2025, something which would make borrowing cheaper and likely kickstart spending.
What is the FTSE 100?
The index is made up of many mining and international oil and gas companies, as well as household name UK banks and supermarkets.
Familiar to a UK audience are lenders such as Barclays, Natwest, HSBC and Lloyds and supermarket chains Tesco, Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s.
Other well-known names include Rolls-Royce, Unilever, easyJet, BT Group and Next.
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FTSE stands for Financial Times Stock Exchange.
If a company’s share price drops significantly it can slip outside of the FTSE 100 and into the larger and more UK-based FTSE 250 index.
The inverse works for the FTSE 250 companies, the 101st to 250th most valuable firms on the London Stock Exchange. If their share price rises significantly they could move into the FTSE 100.
A good close for markets
It’s a good end of the week for markets, entirely reversing the rise in borrowing costs that plagued Chancellor Rachel Reeves for the past ten days.
Fears of long-lasting high borrowing costs drove speculation she would have to cut spending to meet self-imposed fiscal rules to balance the budget and bring down debt by 2030.
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They Treasury tries to calm market nerves late last week
Long-term government borrowing had reached a high not seen since 1998 while the benchmark 10-year cost of government borrowing, as measured by 10-year gilt yields, was at levels last seen around the 2008 financial crisis.
The gilt yield is effectively the interest rate investors demand to lend money to the UK government.
Only the pound has yet to recover the losses incurred during the market turbulence. Without that dropped price, however, the FTSE 100 record may not have happened.
Also acting to reduce sterling value is the chance of more interest rates. Currencies tend to weaken when interest rates are cut.
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