The June warmth and heat continues this week, although with damp low cloud in the west in this humid airflow. In the sunshine, temperatures are rising towards 30C by Sunday in the SE.
The June warmth just keeps on coming. The UK is now in a warm, moist flow thanks to a Tropical Maritime air mass from the southwest. This is bringing lots of cloud to western areas but there are clear skies and sunshine for much of Wales, England and bits of eastern Scotland to start the day. It already feels warm and as the day heats up temperatures could reach 26 or 27C. The weekend looks very warm and there are signs that by Sunday, the southeast could see 30C (86F).
Heatwave - As the heat builds, we will see higher temperatures by day and night. The air is very warm and also humid which matches:
“A heatwave is an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity. “
The UK Met Office has set heatwave thresholds that need to be met or exceeded for at least three consecutive days. These thresholds for the daily maximum air temperature vary by county. We are heading to heatwave territory later this week with SE England and London possibly meeting this over the weekend
High pressure over southern Britain and Europe is allowing the fine, dry and sunny weather but a low pressure south of Greenland is throwing weather fronts our way. There is more cloud over Scotland with bands of rain, particularly for the NW Highlands. This low pressure manages to keep more cloud, patchy rain and blustery winds over Northern Ireland and western Scotland for the next few days.
The Jetstream has shifted further north now, a change from the wet, cold May. As new low pressures develop and head across the Atlantic, the jet keeps them steered closer to Iceland, then Scandinavia. And importantly mostly away from the UK. That keeps the UK in the warmer air although north-western areas will catch the passing fronts.
Health
Whilst many will be delighted with the heat and sunshine, the humidity can cause issues for some, just straightforward bad tempered-ness for others.
“Many people enjoy hot weather but there can be serious health consequences from too much heat and vulnerable groups are particularly at-risk in prolonged hot spells.” Met Office
When heatwave conditions are likely, there is extra advice for the very young or very old, those with chronic disease. If the heat keeps building the groupings widen and the advice increases to “Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol, dress appropriately for the weather and slow down when it is hot.” Not sure how that fits with the Euros starting this weekend.
The Grass pollen season has started now, and southern Britain and the Midlands will have high pollen levels. The sunshine is strong with high UV levels and the air pollution levels forecast to rise at the weekend for SE Britain.
It’s not all sunshine though. Today we have more cloud and patchy rain out west with more rain over NW Scotland and some sharp showers heading towards Glasgow from the west. Further east it is sunny and dry. A few isolated sharp showers will break out over NW England, Wales and SW England during the day. If you are hoping to view the partial solar eclipse tomorrow, a front will bring more cloud to the NW and there is still a lot of lingering low cloud for western shores. This warm, humid air is moving over relatively cooler seas and so we get this claggy coastal cloud, which drifts inland overnight.
