UK weather: heatwave to arrive this week with 30C highs as kid return to school - what has Met Office said?

It may be the first week of autumn but sunshine and scorching temperatures are set to arrive in the UK after a disappointingly wet summer.

The Met Office has said that a heatwave could be on its way from today (Monday 4 September) just as kids across the country head back to school for the new term. According to the meteorological weather service, temperatures could hit the heights of the 30s last seen in July.

The Met Office’s latest forecast said the first full week of September is “likely to contain a heatwave for some parts of the UK”.

Jonathan Vautrey, a meteorologist at the Met Office, has teased that 29C is "certainly possible" in the first week in September, adding that temperatures "may also climb towards 30C".

Mr Vautrey said: “Finally after two months we have got a weekend where high pressure is going to be in charge. It has been building its way in from the Atlantic and it is going to be sticking with the vast majority of us throughout Saturday and Sunday.

“As we head into the new working week, high pressure is going to be staying with us for the vast majority.”

It has also been predicted that Wednesday (6 September) could see the UK record the hottest day of the year so far with 32C. The 2023 record so far was set on 25 June and 10 June with a high of 32.2C.

Temperatures of between 28C and 29C have been forecast by the Met Office for London, while the sun is also expected to shine further north in England in Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle, with temperatures predicted between highs of 19C and 27C throughout the week.

Wales will also see the sun, with Cardiff expected to be hit with highs of between 24C and a scorching 28C throughout the coming week. Scotland also is expected to bask in the sunshine, with temperatures in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen hitting highs of between 19C and 25C.

It will likely be a similar situation in Northern Ireland, with Belfast forecasted to see temperatures of around 22C to 23C.

It comes after a wash-out summer, with the UK experiencing its sixth wettest July on record and Northern Ireland breaking the record for rainfall in the month. An average of 150.5mm of rain fell on the UK, well above the average of 82mm.

The Met Office added that assessments of the spell of warm weather suggest that it will continue during the week but during next weekend there is then an increased chance of a breakdown in the settled conditions but the timing of this is uncertain.