Met Office weather forecasters expect parts of the UK to be warmer than holiday hotspots such as Benidorm as a heat surge could soon bring the hottest day of the year so far
Brits face a heat surge this week as parts of the UK will be hotter than holiday hotspots across Europe.
Met Office forecasters predict highs of 17C coming on Wednesday. The mercury could then rise to 18C on Thursday – which has the potential to be the hottest day of the year so far.
Met Office weather maps show London could hit 17C at 3pm on Wednesday. The mercury will rise to 15C or 16C quite widely across England, with 11C coming in Northern Ireland and 12C in Scotland.
For Thursday, they show afternoon highs of 18C in London, with 16C coming in the north of England and 15C in Wales. Northern Ireland and Scotland are expected to be cooler, with temperatures struggling to reach into double digits.
READ MORE: Met Office issues ‘hottest day of year’ verdict as UK to be warmer than IbizaREAD MORE: UK weather maps reveal 17C heat blast as England hotter than Benidorm next week
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.
In comparison, the Met Office website predicts Benidorm in Spain will only reach 14C on Wednesday. The resort town could see highs of 15C on Thursday.
Temperature anomaly maps show the mercury will rise well above the seasonal average for this time of year on Wednesday and Thursday. Areas of deep red on the maps, stretching over all of England and Wales, show where temperatures are expected to be well above the average.
The Met Office has said Thursday could be the hottest day of the year so far. Last week temperatures reached 18.7C in Kew Gardens, which was the hottest we had seen in 2026.
BBC Weather says we can expect dry and bright conditions later this week. It states: “Thursday will see a band of rain moving in from the west, but the south-east look to remain mostly dry and bright.
“On Friday, the cloud and some patchy light rain will become increasingly confined to the south-east. Otherwise, dry with sunny spells, but cloudier in north-west Scotland. Dry for most on Saturday, with sunny periods, but cloudier with a few showers in the south.”
The Met Office says: “Rain affecting northern and western areas on Thursday. Some warm sunshine elsewhere. Patchy rain clearing southeastwards on Friday, perhaps returning to the south and southwest Saturday. Otherwise fine. Turning cooler.”
