UK weather: Is a mini-heatwave on its way and how long will the warmer weather last?

I know April hasn’t started, but if you are anything like myself, you have been busy hoping for warmer days ahead and being able to leave the house without a coat, scarf or even hat. Well, it looks like things might be improving weather wise and sooner than you might think.

According to the Met Office, the weather forecast for today, Saturday March 29, is “A dry but chilly start for many with the southeast holding onto the best of the sunshine. Turning cloudier and windier from the west with outbreaks of rain and drizzle sinking southeastwards, heavy at times for the northwest of Scotland.” Before you think, that doesn’t sound like a mini-heatwave, don’t be too disappointed.

The outlook for Monday March 31 until Wednesday April 2 is “Dry, bright and warm for most, with just a little rain in the north on Monday. Higher pressure becoming more dominant through the week to leave plenty of warm sunshine.”

What is a heatwave?

According to the Met Office, a definition of a heatwave is “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.”

“A UK heatwave threshold is met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold. The threshold varies by UK county, see the UK temperature threshold map below.”

The highest temperature in the UK in April was recorded in Camden Square in London on April 16, 1949, the temperature recorded was 29.4C (84.9F). In 2018, temperatures reached 29c in parts of London.