Met Office verdict on roasting 35C 'African plume' heatwave in just a few weeks
The Met Office has commented on reports that UK temperatures are set to soar as high as 35C next month - thanks to ‘African plumes’ sweeping across Europe.
The UK has been beset by heavy rain showers and thunderstorms in the past few days as unsettled weather batters parts of the country.
However things could be set to change, according to some forecasters, with the promised African plume bringing drier conditions and the summer weather finally arriving in earnest.
However, forecasters from the Met Office were more cagey with their predictions, saying that at this stage it is too early to give very specific forecasts for June.
“Most summers here in the UK we see a spell of hotter weather, with temperatures getting above 30C so it isn't unusual,” added the forecaster.
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People sit in the sun in St James's Park, central London (PA)However, the forecaster offers more hope in its contingency forecast for May to July saying: “This Outlook suggests the chances of heatwaves are higher than normal.”
James Madden, from Exacta Weather, said: “A number of African plumes are also likely from later in August and into September, and very early indications and some strong indicators are for a warm to hot September this year.
“The peak of these heat surges in June and July could see maximum temperatures ranging in the low to mid 30s, and the late summer/August heatwave could sign off summer 2023 with temperatures ranging a notch or two higher than this.”
It comes as the UK is set to see drier weather over the next few days, with highs of 20C expected on Saturday, Wales Online reports.
According to the BBC, a weak, high-pressure ridge is set to build across the UK today and tomorrow, leading to drier weather with some isolated showers. Overnight fog is expected due to lighter winds.
Walkers are bathed in sunlight in Springhead Park in Rothwell, Yorkshire (PA)The longer-term Met Office forecast for the start of June is saying that there will be ‘above average’ temperatures.
For the period from May 27 - June 10 it says: “A north-south split is the most likely scenario through the bulk of this period, with further spells of rain most likely affecting southern areas, whilst northern areas are more likely to be drier than average overall.
"That said, the drier conditions in the north could well extend countrywide; the confidence in the boundary between the two regimes is very low. Temperatures will most probably remain above average, although tempered along North Sea coasts.”
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The Met Office contingency forecast from May to July says there was a 35 per cent chance it will be hotter than average - 1.8 times the normal chance of this happening.
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It added: “An increase in the likelihood of warmer than normal conditions is consistent with our warming climate and this Outlook suggests the chances of heatwaves are higher than normal, but a range of conditions much less extreme than heatwaves are also possible.
"The increased chance of hot conditions could just as easily reflect a mix of hot and cool days, warm nights, or less extreme levels of warmth rather than heatwave conditions specifically. The Outlook does not guarantee prolonged hot weather and does not imply continuous heatwave conditions.”
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