Met Office maps show temperatures are set to fall sharply next week, as the national weather service warns of a ‘more changeable period’, with Atlantic weather systems bringing showers and longer spells of rain at times
Met Office maps show temperatures are set to fall sharply next week after the UK recorded its hottest May day on record.
Temperatures provisionally reached 35C at Heathrow and Kew Gardens in London on Tuesday, the Met Office said, following a scorching bank holiday weekend that saw the UK break its previous record for the hottest May temperature. On Monday, Kew Gardens hit 34.8C, beating the previous record of 32.8C set in 1922 and 1944.
While temperatures are expected to gradually decline from midweek, conditions will remain largely dry with sunny spells. However, a more changeable spell is expected from Sunday onwards as Atlantic weather systems move in from the west, bringing a mix of showers and longer spells of rain.
Wednesday is forecast to be dry for most, with highs of around 26C in London. It will be cloudier in the north-east, with some bright spells developing.
In its outlook for Thursday to Saturday, the Met Office says conditions will remain hot across parts of the south. It warned of a risk of a few thundery showers, before the weather turns cloudier and fresher from the west towards the weekend.
Its long-range outlook for Sunday, May 31, to Tuesday, June 9, states: “A more changeable period than we have seen of late, as Atlantic weather systems move in from the west to bring a mixture of drier spells and some showers, or longer spells of rain at times.
“The rain will likely be heaviest in parts of the west and northwest, with the best of the drier conditions more likely towards the south and east. Temperatures will be near-normal overall, with the warmest spots most likely across eastern areas. It will also be breezy at times, most especially across northwestern areas.”
Met Office maps for next Tuesday (June 2) show a marked drop in temperatures, with southern England and Wales expected to see highs in the late teens in the afternoon, while some parts of the south-east could reach 20C. Meanwhile, northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to remain cooler, with temperatures hovering around the mid-teens.
