Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK weather: Mini-heatwave brings hottest day of the year with highs of 33C

Hot air coming across from France and Spain is pushing up UK temperatures 

Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith
Monday 18 July 2016 03:46 EDT
Comments
Families enjoying the summer sunshine on deckchairs on the sandy beach at the popular seaside holiday resort of Swanage in Dorset
Families enjoying the summer sunshine on deckchairs on the sandy beach at the popular seaside holiday resort of Swanage in Dorset

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The UK is set to experience the hottest day of the year on Tuesday as the current mini-heat wave could push temperatures as high as 33C.

The UK has already been enjoying the hottest temperatures of the year so far, with record highs of 27.6C recorded in several parts of England on Sunday. The highest temperature previously recorded in 2016 was over a month ago on 6 June, when the mercury reached 27.4C.

The higher-than-average temperatures are due to the heat coming across from France and Spain, where temperatures are currently in the low 40s. Mark Wilson, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said there is an area of high pressure across the UK which brings a lack of rainfall and sunny weather with it. “We won’t get those temperatures but we are getting that very warm air,” he said, adding that it may feel uncomfortable overnight due to the heat.

The Met Office is monitoring the possibility of issuing a health warning due to the hot weather called Heat Health Watch. The warning, which only covers England, is to help healthcare professionals manage periods of extreme temperatures. The Met Office may raise the warning to Level Two, which means professionals should be “alert and ready”.

Despite the soaring temperatures on Tuesday, the mini-heat wave will turn showery across parts of the northwest on Wednesday, and it will start to feel cooler from Thursday onwards. Temperatures over the weekend are expected to drop to the UK average for July, which is around 21C.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in