Weather maps turn orange as 26C 'heatwave' to sweep across UK

A balmy 26C 'heatwave' looks set to hit the UK in just weeks. Weather maps from WXCharts have turned orange as some parts of Britain are tipped to see sunny conditions very soon.

Brighter conditions are predicted for the weekend of June 29 and June 30. But maps indicate the warmest weather will be seen on Monday, July 1.

It means that if England or Scotland make their way into the last 16 of Euro 2024, the nice weather could be enjoyed by Brits hoping for football glory. July 1 also marks the official start date of the Wimbledon tennis tournament.

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The best of the weather is expected in the south east of England, with temperatures in and around London hitting 26C. A lot of England, Scotland and Wales will see highs in the low to mid 20s, Express reports.

Northern Ireland and the north east of Scotland are expected to see warm temperatures. The Met Office said temperatures could creep higher by the end of this month.

It said: "Into the last week of June, changeable conditions are likely to remains dominant, with the focus for these conditions continuing to be across the north and west, with spells of more settled and drier conditions likely in the south and east. Nationwide, temperatures are expected to be close to or slightly above average."

Forecaster Ian Simpson, from Netweather.tv, said highs on July 1 could be bolstered by hot air heading our way from other weather systems. He said: "There is some chance of some of that North African and southern European heat making its way to the British Isles towards the end of June, depending on whether the ridges of high pressure from the Azores align in such a way that we pull in hot air masses from the south and south-east, but this is not a certainty.

"Regardless, it is highly unlikely that Britain will end up approaching the warmest June on record this year because of the cool first half, with temperatures running 1 to 2C below the 1991-2020 long-term average. To get a record-warm June, we would need temperatures to be some 6 to 8C above average in the second half, which looks extremely unlikely."