Heatwave Uk forecast brings 28C to England before bank holiday
Parts of the UK are forecast to warm sharply ahead of the bank holiday weekend, with heatwave uk conditions possible from Friday to Sunday. Temperatures could reach 28C in south-eastern England, and a few places may meet the Met Office heatwave definition over three days.
The warm-up follows a period of unusually cold weather last week. By Wednesday, temperatures are expected to get back up to 21C, then rise further as most places turn dry on Thursday and Friday.
South-Eastern England Forecast
The highest temperatures are forecast for south-eastern parts of England on Thursday and Friday, when readings could reach 28C. That would make it the warmest weather of the year so far, topping the 26.6C recorded at Kew Gardens during an unusually warm early April.
A warm southerly breeze is expected on Friday because of high pressure to the east, while a weather front threatens rain to the west. The change follows a week when the wind was blowing from the north, and the cold spell then gave way to south-westerly winds from the Atlantic at the beginning of this week.
Met Office Heatwave Definition
The Met Office defines a heatwave as at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures above a county-specific threshold. The threshold is 28C in Greater London and 25C in Northern Ireland, so the same forecast can count differently depending on where people live.
On the current forecast, a few places could meet that definition during Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Herefordshire and Worcestershire look most likely to do so, putting those counties closest to the heatwave threshold as the bank holiday weekend begins.
Bank Holiday Weekend
For readers in the warmest areas, the key change is not just the number on the thermometer but the stretch of days that may stay hot enough to meet the Met Office test. For most other places, the immediate picture is a gradual climb from 21C on Wednesday into a drier, warmer end to the week, with rain still in the forecast after midweek.
