Yahoo News The Essex areas set to be as hot as Barcelona as Met Office predicts mini-heatwave
Parts of Essex could be warmer than a popular European tourist destination this week, according to the Met Office. By 2pm on Sunday (May 19) temperatures are predicted to reach as high as 22C in areas such as Chelmsford.
The Met Office says it'll be cloudy changing to sunny intervals in the afternoon across Chelmsford with temperatures between 21 and 22C from noon to 6pm. It's a similar story in Colchester where the warm temperature will remain until around 5pm according to the Met Office.
Experts say the warm weather could stay into Monday before decreasing slightly throughout the rest of the week. People in Chelmsford could see temperatures of 21C on Monday, followed by 19C on Tuesday, 18C on Wednesday and Thursday and a rise to 19C on Friday and 20C on Saturday of the bank holiday weekend.
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In Colchester the temperatures are expected to dip to 17C on Wednesday before rising again to 20C on Saturday. It's the same in Southend, although the dip will be on Tuesday (17C) before rising to 19C on Saturday.
The Met Office is predicting similar weather conditions in Barcelona. On Sunday (May 19) they anticipate steady temperatures at 19C followed by 20C on Monday, 22C on Tuesday, 20C on Wednesday, 19C on Thursday, 20C on Friday and 22C on Saturday.
If these predictions turn out to be true, then parts of Essex would be warmer than Barcelona - on Sunday and Monday in Chelmsford. Kathryn Chalk, meteorologist for the Met Office, said: "There will be plenty of evening sunshine on offer. A dry evening for most of us, but low cloud is going to be returning once again from the North Sea and pushing it's way inland into Monday morning."
They added: "That low cloud should lift and break to leave another day of sunny spells. For many places it will be a dry day. It will feel warm where you do see the sunshine with highs of 20, possibly 22 degrees.
"As we go through the latter part of the week we have two systems battling. One from across the west binging in some showers and into Wednesday we have low pressures from the east that could bring in some heavier spells of rain."
The warm weather seemed to be backed up by experts at BBC Weather too. During today's instalment of BBC Breakfast, meteorologist Matt Taylor was in the studio to give viewers a glimpse at the weather for Sunday and the start of next week. He said: "Today, the warmest conditions with the sunshine will be across some counties of England and Wales, 25 celsius.
"Today the hottest conditions to the south of the UK. We have got that mist and for around some of the coast. Low cloud to the south clearing in the next few hours."
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