26 June 2023 , 21:21
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A 'heat dome' is on the horizon for Brits this summer, and it's only a few weeks away, a weather expert has revealed.
The UK is increasingly likely to enter into another heatwave in July and August this year, with temperatures rivalling an exceedingly warm June.
The middle to late July, combined with early to mid-August, is traditionally the warmest part of the year in the UK, and the effects of the global El Nino phenomenon is likely to make 2023 another scorcher.
Global temperatures are breaking records - and are likely to continue breaking records - owing to the Pacific Ocean cyclical warming, warned British Weather Services' senior meteorological consultant Jim Dale.
In the UK, he said there's "every chance" we'll beat this year's previous high temperature of 32.2C as we progress into summer.
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There's everything to play for, he added, and revealed the most likely time for another 40C sizzler.
El Nino is triggering warmer temperatures across the globe (PA)"The heat is not all over yet," he told the Mirror. "It is for now - we've got two weeks of general temperate weather coming.
"But we've still got the rest of July, and then we go into the traditional hottest spell of the year - the first two weeks of August.
"With an El Nino starting to get the ball rolling, as far as the global effects are concerned, it could mean we go back into a heat dome again just as we go into those six to eight weeks of August and end of July.
"We could easily get those heat spikes again from North Africa.
"There's every chance of beating the 32.2C from earlier this year; that would be a good peak in any normal year.
"But there's also every chance we'll break the 35C mark in the second week of July and August. That's a 50/50 chance.
"The 40C degrees is more likely in August than in July. But there's everything to play for as far as the summer is concerned."
August could bring 40C temperatures for a second year in a row (PA)There are also huge spikes in temperatures across the world at the moment, Jim added.
Spain, Texas, the Far East, the Middle East and North Africa are all enduring excruciating heatwaves currently, he said.
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Countries that typically have their winter seasons in July and August are still experiencing "silly temperatures", with some regions seeing 30C overnight.
Glastonbury festivalgoers endured the joint-hottest day of the year on Sunday (PA)Meanwhile, Jim also warned that there's likely to be more thunderstorms this summer.
"When you get hot weather that's building up over two or three days, it tends to end in a thunderstorm," he said.
"Give ourselves a week, and we might see a bit more of that before we go back into the proper heat."
The Met Office confirmed that Sunday was the hottest day of the year so far in the UK.
The mercury soared to 32.3C in Lincolnshire in the afternoon, which matched temperatures from earlier in the month.
Temperatures also matched those of Mediterranean holiday hotspots over the weekend, it added.