Met Office issues verdict on mid-30C temperatures from next week

The Met Office has warned that temperatures are set to rise next week after a period of cooler weather. The start of August has seen temperatures cool in the UK after a July which was the fifth warmest on record.

This week, parts of northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland were battered by Storm Floris as thousands of people were left without power and travel was widely disrupted. The Met Office warned ahead of the weekend: "Friday will be a brighter day for many, with sunny spells across southern and central areas, although northern Scotland will remain breezy, with showery outbreaks of rain. Temperatures will reach the mid-20s Celsius in some parts of central and eastern England, with highs of 25-26C expected.

"Saturday looks largely fine for much of England and Wales, with sunny spells, but once again some rain in northern areas, particularly northwest Scotland.

"It is a similar picture on Sunday with a weather front moving in from the west bringing rain to Northern Ireland, parts of Scotland and possibly northern England by evening.

"Central and southern areas are expected to remain dry with sunny spells."

The agency predicted that the weather is set to heat up next week, with some areas expecting temperatures in the mid-30s as the UK basks under summer sunshine.

The agency said that temperatures will increase from Sunday, with places across central, southern, and eastern England expected to see the mercury climb above 30C on Monday and Tuesday.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Steven Keates, said: "We're confident that temperatures will increase markedly by the start of next week, reaching the low 30s Celsius in parts of England on Monday and perhaps the mid-30s in a few places on Tuesday.

"However, the length of this warm spell is still uncertain, and it is possible that high temperatures could persist further into next week, particularly in the south."

"Ex-Dexter sets the wheels in motion for an uptick in temperatures, but the weather patterns then maintaining any hot weather are rather more uncertain".

The weather marks a return to conditions seen across June and July, with last month the fifth warmest July since the series began in 1884 and the warmest since 2018.

According to provisional Met Office statistics, all four UK nations recorded one of their top ten warmest Julys, with Scotland and Northern Ireland ranking sixth, England seventh, and Wales tenth.