Met Office UK weather forecast: Temperatures rising this week as El Niño expected to spell hot summer
Temperatures are expected to rise this week, according to the Met Office, who are also predicting a hot summer thanks to an El Niño weather event.
Thermometers are set to rise for the rest of this week in the UK, as weather experts predict a hot summer - thanks to evidence of an El Niño which could bring higher temperatures. In recent weeks, the UK has seen one of the warmest starts to April on record, with a temperature of 26.6C recorded at Kew Gardens in London last Wednesday (April 8) - the hottest day of the year so far.
However, temperatures fell over the weekend, but forecasters said things are warming again towards the end of the week, with temperatures of around 18C expected in the south by Friday and into the weekend.
Meanwhile the Met Office has confirmed evidence of an El Niño weather event - which could increase the chances of soaring temperatures this summer. Speculation has also suggested it could be a 'super' El Niño, with temperatures rising by around 1.5C.
What is a super El Niño?
An El Niño occurs when temperatures in the Pacific vary by more than 0.5C - bringing meteorological consequences around the globe, though exactly what impact it can have is unclear.
However, Met Office senior press officer and climate science communicator Grahame Madge said: “A ‘super’ El Niño is not a term we subscribe to, but it does underpin the fact that this is likely to be a significant event. Scientists are telling us that this could be the strongest El Niño event this so far century, comparable to the notable El Niño event in 1998.”
The Met Office said many of the warmest years on record have coincided with El Niño events, becoming more common due to human‑induced climate change. And when added to climate change, a strong El Niño can push global temperatures to particularly high levels.
“An El Niño will impart heat into the atmosphere and, generally, raise global average temperatures by around a fifth of a degree Celsius," Grahame added. "1998 was a significant year for global temperature and, at the time, was the warmest year on record, with El Niño contributing to increased temperatures."
The impact of any El Niño remains unclear, however, with the Met Office saying because it takes place thousands of miles away, any effects are "far from guaranteed".
A forecaster said: "The UK’s weather is shaped by many competing factors that affect the Atlantic jet stream and other large‑scale atmospheric patterns. As a result, it is too early to draw firm conclusions about what this developing El Niño might mean for future UK seasons."