A 30C-plus bank holiday heatwave is about to kick-start a week of scorching sunshine with Britain possibly baking into June.
Temperatures from today will rocket into the 30Cs amid predictions spring will end in a blaze of blowtorch sunshine.
Heatwave thresholds will be met this weekend thanks to a double whammy of meteorological heat drivers.
Warm winds from Iberia will sweep across the Continent into Britain, steered by a dome of high pressure set to last through next week.
Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth said: “As we head towards the bank holiday weekend, it is likely to feel quite hot as heatwave conditions will be met from the weekend onwards.
“We have quite warm air over the Continent, and that has come up from Iberia, and that will push widely across the UK on Sunday, and the peak of the heat starts to push in as high pressure dominates the weather.
“On Bank Holiday Monday, high pressure is not going anywhere, and it may push more widely into Wales and northern England, and high pressure is set to dominate through the start of next week and it is likely to last.”
A yellow heat-health alert issued across central and southern Britain until Wednesday warns the elderly and vulnerable to take extra care.
Heat to push in from the south with temperatures topping 30C
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Heatwave conditions – three or more days of temperatures hitting threshold levels – threaten healthcare services and could bring a ‘risk to life’.
Met Office deputy chief forecaster Greg Wolverson said: “Into next week, heatwave conditions are expected to become more widespread, extending across central and western England and into parts of Wales, as temperatures remain well above average.
“High pressure will be in charge of the UK’s weather over the bank holiday weekend, and this should bring fine and settled conditions to most areas.
“The exception will be parts of northwestern Scotland, where it will be cooler and cloudier with some rain at times.”
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Annie Shuttleworth says temperatures could hit 30C plus from Sunday
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Southern counties will taste the first lick of the flames at the end of this week before the rest of the country simmers.
Elsewhere, cloudy skies and rain will temper the mercury before thermometers rocket on Sunday.
Ms Shuttleworth said: “Initially, the heatwave will arrive in southeastern areas, but into the start of next week, it will push further north.
“In the southeast on Friday, it is going to feel pretty warm with temperatures climbing towards 28C in the south and east, and we could see close to 30C if we see long-lived sunshine.
“Sunday, for most of us, the heat will really start to build and a widely sunny start to the day.”
Temperatures of 30C-plus are expected widely after the bank holiday, putting the 32C May record under threat, she added.
She said: “We are likely to see 30C across the days in the south on multiple days over the next week, which is pretty unusual for the time of year.
“In May, we have only had three consecutive days with 30C or more on our records, and we could beat that.
“We could potentially come close to our May maximum record, so this could be quite a notable event when it comes to heat.”