UK set for 72-hour 29C heatwave and it could 'easily' be even hotter

James Rodger
·2-min read

The UK is poised to roast in a 72-hour 29C heatwave in July, it has been warned. Jim Dale, senior meteorologist and founder of British Weather Services, said temperatures could “easily” soar higher than 27C and threaten the current hottest day of the year, which was 30C recorded last Wednesday.

He said: “It’s looking like it will warm up again after a below average week or two. July 12-15 appears right - plus 27C in the south. We could easily pip that but we have a lot to get through before then." Jim said: “The reason for the ‘false start’ to July is that we have slipped back into a cool/cold Polar Maritime airstream with feeds off the Atlantic rather than high pressure or a southerly quarter airstream.

“All the big heat is again hogging southern, central & eastern Europe.” The BBC has predicted July 15 onwards will be "somewhat drier" after a "rather wet" between July 8 and July 15 in the UK during a disappointing seventh month of the year.

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It said: "In the third week of July, the long-term weather models are sticking to their forecast of higher pressure sitting over the far north-west of Europe, which harbours the risk of a cooler north-westerly flow on average.

"Temperatures could therefore be more subdued across much of the UK, particularly in the north and north-west. Showery rain combined with brisk winds are likely to be the predominant pattern. If the high pressure shifts closer to the UK, there is a chance of more settled, drier and slightly warmer conditions.

"In the fourth week of July, the long-term weather models increasingly diverge. Nevertheless, lower pressure may remain over the north-west and perhaps northern parts of Europe, while higher pressure may sit further south at times. Some models also show higher pressure over parts of Scandinavia. Thus, confidence in the forecast is increasingly low.

"Nonetheless, the temperature forecast sees a continuation of near seasonal temperatures, with somewhat wetter and windier conditions across the board. Southern areas will be favoured by slightly higher temperatures, however."

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