Some parts of the UK have logged 152 hours of sunshine in the first 13 days of July. Temperature has stayed above 30C in some areas for 10 straight days, even as the heatwave spreads from the south of England to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Yeovilton in Somerset and Odiham in Hampshire each reached about 152 hours, almost twice their normal July sunshine. The peak came on Thursday 9 July and Friday 10 July, when temperatures reached 35C.
Yeovilton in Somerset
The sunshine total is the clearest measure of how persistent the dry spell has been in the places taking the biggest hit. In parts of England, some areas have recorded 0% of the rainfall they would normally expect so far in July, while Wisley in Surrey has gone 27 consecutive days without any rainfall.
More than eight million households in England are now living under hosepipe bans. A nearby heat headline has also tracked the strain on people and places at the sharp end of hot weather, with heatwaves making lung symptoms harder to ignore.
Teddington and Heathrow
On Tuesday, the UK recorded 10 consecutive days of temperatures hitting 30C or more in some areas. Teddington, Richmond upon Thames, Kew Gardens and Heathrow in London were among the places that exceeded 30C, showing how far the heat reached before easing.
The weather pattern behind it has been persistent high pressure, which limits cloud and helps sunshine build up over land. That same setup has left rainfall in Wales and Northern Ireland far below average, even as the sun has been strongest in parts of southern and south-west England.
This weekend and next week
Temperatures are unlikely to reach 30C this weekend. Maximum daytime temperatures are expected to range from 22C in Scotland and Northern Ireland to 28C in southern England, while sunny skies are still forecast to continue.
High pressure is forecast to build back over the UK again next week, and temperatures are expected to rise again in most places. A separate weather warning elsewhere points to how quickly hot conditions can intensify, with Atlanta temperature near 110F this weekend and wet-bulb globe temperature warnings showing how heat can shape high-stakes events.
