London is set to enjoy a long hot spell as a plume of humid air from southern Europe sweeps the capital. The Met Office has issued a new weather prediction for the next two weeks with temperatures expected to reach as high as 30C on Friday.
After a damp start to the week, conditions are set to steadily improve over the coming days with daytime highs no lower than 25C from Tuesday, June 16, through to Sunday, June 28. Based on current forecasts, there appears a strong chance of at least one official heatwave being declared in the capital.
The chances of a heatwave appear strongest at the end of this week and around the last weekend in June, when the Met Office reckons London will see four consecutive days of 28C or above. An official heatwave is declared in London when 28C is recorded on three consecutive days.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said high pressure building across the country will bring warm and humid conditions, with temperatures climbing above the seasonal average in many areas. She told the Press Association: “Throughout the week things are heating up in the south and South East. We’ve got high pressure starting to build and there’s a warm plume moving up through continental Europe.”
She added: “Whether or not it’ll be a heatwave remains to be seen as there’s still a lot to play for, but things are certainly turning a lot warmer, if not maybe even hot, by the end of the week, although this is mostly confined to the South East. Other areas will warm up, but it’s also very humid so they are likely to be cloudy, with rain and showers. By Thursday we’re looking at around 28C in London, so certainly pushing into the high 20s.”
This comes after a record-breaking heatwave which saw May 26 become the hottest day in May on record for England, with 35.1C measured at London’s Kew Gardens.
