There's a partial eclipse of the sun this morning (Thursday) although with cloud drifting in from the west it may be tricky to view for some. Beyond today, heat and humidity will be on the rise.
This morning between about 1015 and 1215, we have a partial eclipse of the sun, visible across the whole of the British Isles. At the time of maximum eclipse, around 20% of the top part of the solar disk will be obscured by the moon in the South and 50% towards the Northern Isles. But a word of caution! Never try to look directly at the sun, even with sunglasses, as you’ll damage your eyes.
If you don't have a pair of eclipse glasses (above), another way to safely watch the eclipse it’s better to find some cardboard or similar material, make a small hole in it and then project the suns image onto a piece of white paper. You could also try wearing your sunglasses, reflecting the sun through a large still pool, lake or bucket of water, if of course skies allow. We do have more cloud across the country this morning, however, but with the sun high and the cloud cover tenuous, most of us, but more especially central and eastern areas should see the eclipse.
Although remnants of fronts have advanced a little further eastward over the past 24 hours bringing the cloud, the overall situation remains much the same. We still have low pressure to the North West and high pressure to the South that’ll continue to feed warm, moist tropical maritime air across most of the country. Atlantic systems bring further bursts of rain to the far North West, but otherwise, the bulk of the country today stays dry.
Whilst there'll be more cloud than recently and some mist and fog in the South at first, the sun is already through in some eastern areas with skies breaking to give sunny spells more generally later in a pleasant breeze. Top temperatures 17 to 22C in the North and West, with 23 to 25C in the East and South, making it very warm and humid. In a very mild, muggy night across most of England and Wales, temperatures shouldn’t fall below 13 to 16C. Scotland and Northern Ireland see patchy, mostly light rain, with a few showers in the North and West while the bulk of the country remains dry.
It'll be breezier on Friday in the North but not unduly so, with a few showers over the North and West of Scotland. Here it'll be somewhat cooler and fresher, this spreading to the North of England through the day. Further South, it remains much the same in another very warm, muggy day, although cloud amounts vary, with the best of the sunshine in the East. Top temperatures 17 to 20C in the North and 23 to 25C again in the South.
Any remaining showers in the far North fade during the evening, leaving a dry night. There’ll be patchy cloud but also clear spells in generally light winds. It turns misty in places with a few short-lived fog patches possible around dawn. It’ll be another humid night in central and southern areas where temperatures fall no lower than 13 to 15C, with 9 to 11C more likely further North.
Saturday sees pressure building again from the South, giving much of the country a fine weekend, with even the far North and West joining in for a while. Over England, Wales and South East Scotland it becomes increasingly humid and very warm or hot by Sunday when a few places in the South could see 27 to 29C once cloud in areas at first clears.
The hot weather should continue into Monday in the South when it'll be turning cooler, fresher, breezier and unsettled in the North, as Atlantic westerlies, common in the second half of June, begin to arrive. But with continued low solar activity suggesting further bouts of meridional rather than zonal flow, showers some heavy giving thunder could develop more widely, as complex low pressure probably becomes established across the country.
