Met Office alert as Saharan dust cloud heads straight for UK amid 32C heatwave
The Met Office has issued an alert over a Saharan dust cloud headed for the UK amid a heatwave this week.
Temperatures in some areas are expected to reach highs of 32C, with Wednesday and Thursday forecast to be extremely hot. The warm spell will last up until the weekend, with thousands of people expected to flock to beaches and seaside towns to enjoy the scorching weather.
Parts of the UK will experience high temperatures due to a flow of warm air between a high pressure area in continental Europe and low pressure in the Atlantic. Now, the Met Office has said a plume of Saharan dust is set to hit parts of the country in the coming days, which could result in some picturesque sunsets.
New satellite forecasts show Saharan dust blowing over Western Europe by the middle of the week. The Met Office said on Monday: "Saharan dust, as indicated by the brighter pinks in the satellite imagery below, is likely to extend across parts of the UK this week. Combined with mostly clear skies; there could be some picturesque sunsets."
Saharan dust is headed to the UK ahead of the rising temperatures (@metoffice/Twitter)The UK Health Security Agency has issued a yellow alert in place across the whole of England apart from the North East, between 2pm on Monday and 9pm on Sunday, September 10. Temperatures could reach 32C on Wednesday and Thursday, with the UK forecast to be hotter than Ibiza in Spain, Ayia Napa in Cyprus and Athens in Greece.
Gales, snow and rain to batter country today with 80mph wind gusts
Met Office spokesperson Oli Claydon told the PA news agency: “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 31C maybe 32C. The high temperatures are quite widely spread across the UK, although the highest temperatures are probably somewhere in south-eastern England spreading out to central parts of England as well.
“(It could be) a warm night overnight on Wednesday, with the potential for temperatures not dropping below 20C, which is what we term a tropical night. That’s most likely in the southern half of the UK and more likely in urban areas where the temperatures obviously stay up that little bit higher overnight. Then as we move through to Thursday, another hot day with highs of 31C to 32C. And again, another warm night with potential for a tropical night on Thursday.”
Temperatures reached 30C on Monday in southern England and the South East of Wales, according to the Met Office spokesperson. The hot weather will also continue through Tuesday with highs of 31C expected. Temperatures are expected to drop from Monday, September 11, although parts of the South East should retain the warmth the longest.
According to the BBC: "There will be chances of some mist or foggy nights again. It's unlikely to be completely dry, with chances of showers developing here and there, but pinpointing any areas of rainfall is tough this far ahead."
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