Britain is sizzling up for possibly the hottest day of the year as summer’s fiercest heatwave sweeps in on the tail of a tropical storm.
Temperatures are tipped to topple the 35.8C July high with highs of 35C-plus forecast over the next 36 hours.
Weather models show ground temperatures hitting an egg-frying 38C in southern and central regions.
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Weather models show ground temperatures hitting an egg-frying 38C in southern and central regions
|Netweather
Blazing sunshine, high pressure and light cloud could provide the ingredients to beat the yearly high set in Faversham, Kent, last month.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “We would need to see these ingredients come together for the hottest day of the year, and while it is a bit of a tall order, it is not out of the question.
“Tuesday is likely to be the hottest day of this heatwave, although high temperatures will hold out in parts beyond the middle of the week.
“We need three or more days of threshold temperatures, and with highs in the high-20Cs and 30Cs on the way, we are likely to see that this week.”
Central regions are in for the highest temperatures through the coming days as warmth pushes up from the south, Dale said.
Unusually, the south and the southeast may stay slightly cooler in winds coming off the Atlantic, he added.
Dale said: “There may be a surprise with the temperatures this week as it is likely to be the central regions that are going to get the warmest weather, with warm air passing over land rather than coming in off the sea.
“It will be warm overnight, and this will help to drive the daytime temperatures, and is part of the reason there is a health alert in force because of the sustained warmth.”
Hot weather is being driven in part by the remains of a tropical storm hurtling across the Atlantic on the jet stream.
The dying embers of Tropical Storm Dexter will split into two low-pressure systems before passing over the northern tip of Britain.
Met Office meteorologist Honor Criswick said: “There is a good chance we will push into the low-30Cs, but on Wednesday, this depends on how quickly Storm Dexter can push its way through and how quickly the wind and rain can push through, as well.
“That heat source is drifting across the Atlantic and it circulates towards the southeast, and we will see temperatures rise across Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
“There is some variation over the exact track of tropical storm Dexter, but many of the models agree that there is going to be some wet and windy weather pushing its way into the UK early into the week.”
Central regions are in for the highest temperatures through the coming days as warmth pushes up from the south
|WXCHARTS
While the remains of Dexter will drive the hot-air surge from the south, it will also bring wind and rain to the north.
Scotland and northern Britain face a wet and windy start to the week with temperatures much lower than the south.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “There will be a north-south split in the weather as we go into Monday, with quite a lot of cloud across Northern Ireland, Scotland and the far north of England, with outbreaks of rain.
“The rain will be most persistent through northern Scotland through the afternoon.
“Further south, there will be largely sunny conditions across many parts of England and Wales, and there may be some isolated showers or thunderstorms later in the day in the southwest of England.
“Temperatures will be widely in the mid- to high-20C, and some spots will see 30C, so it is feeling pretty hot across the heart of England and Wales and the southeast as we go into Monday afternoon.”
AccuWeather’s lead international forecaster Jason Nicholls added: “It will be very dry and warm in the south of the UK through the start of the week, while northern regions will stay changeable with showers.
“Wednesday will stay warm in the south, although there will be the risk of some isolated showers.”