Mainly Dry, Heat Arrives on Thursday

It’s a dry start to the day across much of the country, along with some bright or sunny spells, despite variable amounts of cloud. A chilly start for some as well, especially in the countryside across the north. High pressure is now becoming the dominant feature of the weather and, as a result, a quiet and benign period of weather will continue through the rest of Tuesday and into Wednesday. It isn’t until Thursday that the forecasted heat and humidity arrives, once the area of high pressure drifts a little further to the east.

Through the remainder of Tuesday plenty of dry weather will be maintained. Some patchy rain and drizzle are, however, likely across some northern and western areas of Scotland, but nothing more than nuisance value. Bright or sunny spells are likely as well, especially so across some central and eastern areas of England.

Temperatures will be near or a little above the average for late May, so it will be pleasantly warm for many this afternoon, especially when the sunshine is most prevalent today. Temperatures will widely reach 16C or 17C, locally up to 18C to 20C across central and eastern areas of England.

Through this evening and overnight and not a great deal is forecast to change with the weather. Plenty of dry conditions will prevail, with clear spells and variable cloud. It isn’t predicted to be quite as chilly as last night either, especially in towns and cities where it will be very mild, a sign of things to come. Wednesday will be another settled day across all of the UK. The patchy rain and drizzle across parts of northern and western Scotland will have cleared too, and there will be plenty of sunny spells.

Temperatures through Wednesday will, if anything, be a little higher than compared with Tuesday. With many central and inland areas of England and Wales likely seeing temperatures up to 18C to 20C. It will be cooler where there is some cloud, especially across parts of W Scotland and maybe NW England too.

The arrival of the predicted heat and humidity will still develop from Thursday onwards. As the area of high pressure begins to drift more towards the east of the British Isles, it will allow for some hot and increasingly humid conditions to move northwards out of France. Temperatures will respond rapidly on Thursday as a result. Much of the day will be dry with bright or sunny spells, these prolonged at times.

The combination of the hot and humid airmass off the near Continent with the ‘strong’ May sunshine will mean temperatures will soar as the day progresses. Many inland areas of the UK will have maximum temperatures ranging between 21C and 25C, but locally 26C or 27C is possible. As is often the case it will be cooler around immediate coastal areas with some sea breezes developing, especially in the south and east of England.

Beyond Thursday and the heat and humidity will prevail. The working week will end with further very high temperatures and with an increasingly humid feel to the weather. Further bright or sunny spells are likely, these prolonged at times and, especially in towns and cities the heat and humidity will be particularly oppressive, with some very warm nights likely. There continues to be a signal for more unsettled conditions to gradually develop as the Bank Holiday weekend progresses. Lower pressure will combine with the heat and humidity to bring about some potentially heavy downpours and thunderstorms. Initially these will affect some western and southern areas, but then potentially elsewhere as the weekend progresses.

So, an early taste of summer is still on the way, with either Thursday or Friday likely to produce the highest temperature of the year so far. As often seems to be the case though, as a Bank Holiday comes around, the weather changes. And that, for now, seems likely with cooler and fresher conditions erratically spreading eastwards through Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.