UK weather forecast heatwave: Met Office predicts temperatures to rise this weekend - how hot will it get?

Following a rather wet start to June, warmer, drier weather is on the way, according to the Met Office. Temperatures could reach 30C with high pressure set to build from the southwest, the national weather service is predicting.

Before that, there is still plenty of rain to come however, with a mix of “sunshine and frequent showers” throughout Tuesday and Wednesday. A spokesperson from the Met Office said: “Some of these showers are likely to be heavy and possibly thundery, with bursts of rain, hail and gusty winds developing quite quickly through the day.”

Another grey day is on the cards for many on Thursday too with the potential for heavy rain in places accompanied by strong winds. Temperatures are expected to “hover in the mid to high teens” throughout the week.

Friday though, could start to see conditions improving, with high pressure starting to build from the southwest. Most places will have a noticeably drier day than of late with a better chance of bright or sunny spells and temperatures edging up to 20C - closer to the average for this time of year.

Weekend heatwave

Weather conditions could take a sharp turn at the weekend, with temperatures likely to rise above the seasonal average, which is placed at around 21C for southern England. Dan Stroud, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “We’re looking at temperatures climbing into the weekend, particularly on Saturday and Sunday, so feeling much warmer than recent days, with temperatures quite widely above average, especially across the south come Saturday, and even more so on Sunday.”

Current indicators also suggest temperatures might hit the 30C barrier, and possibly break it, Mr Stroud added. “How high the temperatures get is still open to a fair amount of debate,” Mr Stroud said. “There is growing signal that temperatures will be heading comfortably into the high 20s, perhaps breaking 30 degrees again.

“There is definitely a chance of temperatures scraping into the above 30 degrees on Sunday, and then more so on Monday. We keep close tabs on it because there is always the potential for hitting heatwave criteria again.”

The coming shift in weather conditions is because of a change in the jet stream, which is currently running across the UK and driving unsettled Atlantic weather fronts across the country, Mr Stroud said.

“End of this week, high pressure starts to build from the south, with clearing skies and rising temperatures over the continent,” Mr Stroud added. “It’s just a perfect recipe for temperatures to actually start climbing.”

The south and South East of England are likely to experience the highest temperatures over the coming weekend, according to the Met Office. But more unsettled weather is to be expected in the meantime, with Tuesday set to be a day of sunny spells and showers for most.

Heavy and thundery summer showers can also be expected across the north of the country, Mr Stroud said. Thursday will likely be wet and windy for many, before the weather turns drier and increasingly settled from the south on Friday.

“Thursday is likely the wettest day of the week, with an organised band of rain moving across us,” Mr Stroud said. “But there is light at the end of the tunnel.”