Friday will be another very warm or hot day with sunshine. Temperatures are forecast to be widely in the 20s Celsius and for the southern half of Britain, the extended heatwave conditions continue with temperatures over 30C. There will be a frontal band in the far north of Scotland, which will change the weather for northern parts by Saturday. Sunday looks fine and sunny but across the weekend there will be a noticeable flow off the North Sea.
The focus for the highest temperatures moves over the West Country and south Wales on Saturday, again up into the low 30sC. And even with more sunshine on Sunday, eastern coastal counties from Aberdeenshire down to North Yorkshire and Norfolk will all see lower temperatures.
There will be a cold front in the far north, bringing rain to northern Scotland. This sets in on Friday morning for the Western Isles and NW Highlands but will shift eastwards over the Northern Isles, around the Moray Firth and parts of Grampian by Friday afternoon. The threat of heavy, even thundery downpours will continue overnight and particularly for Aberdeenshire on Saturday morning.
There will be more cloud over Northern Ireland but also more cloud for Scotland with an onshore breeze keeping the wet weather in the Moray Firth. This NE/E flow off the cooler North Sea will make a real difference on Saturday to how eastern Britain feels. Low cloud could cling along the east coast and there will be further outbreaks of rain for eastern and southern Scotland with clusters of heavier bursts drifting from Aberdeen down to Berwick upon Tweed. Northern Ireland will brighten up. To the south of the cold front, for England and Wales, there will be more sunshine and very warm to hot weather in the south and southwest. For eastern England, along the coast, temperatures will be closer to 20C.
The heatwave won’t be over by the end of the weekend, but there will be some changes, and the breeze from the North Sea might help it feel slightly more comfortable overnight for Greater London.
Consecutive heatwave days over the local threshold temperatures til end of Weds 8th - Starlings Roost Weather
Other parts of western Europe have been sweltering in heatwave conditions this week too. Spain has seen temperatures widely in the 30s and into the low 40sC with amber and red heat warnings. Much of France is under amber heat warnings for Thursday and Friday with temperatures in the mid to high 30sC. Barcelona just rose over 40C on Wednesday. Like England, this heat has not been as oppressive as the June heatwaves when there was high humidity but for western mainland Europe, the endless hot and sunny weather has dried out the soil and grasslands, and the growth and spread of wildfires is a developing concern.
See the EFFIS Active Fires and Fire spread risk map - top image
At the weekend, the focus of the heat remains over western Europe, particularly over western and central France. This is ferocious summer heat. Health and civil authorities are advising everyone to rest and seek shade in the early afternoon, to drink plenty of water, to wear a hat and loose clothing, and to just slow down.
It is worth knowing about the symptoms for Heat Exhaustion and the very serious Heat Stroke so that you can recognise them and act quickly if needed.
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