London heatwave: Temperatures set to soar to 35C
London is set to sweat this week, as a UK heatwave is predicted to send temperatures in the capital soaring up to 35C.
The Met Office today warned Brits to expect daytime temperatures to rise well above 30C between Tuesday and Friday.
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Thursday may even see the mercury rise to 35C in the capital, making it easily the hottest day of the year so far and a contender for one of the hottest UK days on record. Kent’s 38C day recorded in 2003 currently holds the title.
But Friday should mark the end of the bull-run of rising temperatures, with London weather set to fall into the low-to-mid 20s over the weekend after hitting 35C on Thursday.
That will signal the end of a three-day heatwave that will see London weather hit 32C on Tuesday, before cooling slightly to 31C on Wednesday.
The Met Office warned the weather will feel muggy, hot and humid.
Thunder and rain are likely to become more persistent towards the end of the week.
The rest of the UK will mirror London’s heat, but less so in northwest areas.
Manchester and Bristol could peak at 30C on Tuesday while Birmingham may well see temperatures of 31C.
“Temperatures could reach 34C by Wednesday in parts of central, southern or eastern areas and heatwave thresholds are likely to be reached in some places,” the Met Office’s chief meteorologist, Andy Page, said.
The Met Office blamed low pressure over the Atlantic pulls up hot, higher pressure air from Spain and France over to the southern and eastern parts of the UK.
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The heatwave will coincide with the start of the school summer holidays, leading to congested roads as families pack the car and head on their summer breaks.
The RAC’s Rod Dennis said: “It is vital motorists check their vehicles are ready for longer drives – breakdowns are never welcome in any weather.”