Temperatures are set to reach over 30C during the bank holiday weekend as Brits prepare for what are set to be the hottest days of the year.
Parts of the UK are forecast to be hotter than some popular Mediterranean holiday destinations, meteorologists have said, as a heatwave develops over the weekend.
The Met Office said there is a 40 per cent chance temperatures could climb to 33C in parts of southern England on Sunday, which would make it the warmest May day on record.
The current May temperature record stands at 32.8C, recorded in Camden Square, London, in 1922. Any temperature above 29.4C will be the warmest May temperature recorded in the UK since 2012.
The high temperatures are set to exceed those in Greece over the weekend, including Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini.
Use the interactive map below to find out the forecast for your area over the coming days:
Temperatures are expected to reach 28C in parts of England on Friday before climbing above 30C across several areas over the following three days, the Met Office said.
A UK heatwave is officially recorded when an area experiences at least three consecutive days with temperatures meeting or exceeding the region’s heatwave threshold.
Wales could also experience these conditions over the weekend, while weather is expected to me milder in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The warmest day recorded in the UK so far this year was 26.6C at Kew Gardens in south-west London in April.
The Met Office’s deputy chief forecaster Greg Wolverson said: “A very warm period of weather will develop through the weekend and into next week for much of the UK.
“High pressure will be in charge of the UK’s weather over the bank holiday weekend and this should bring fine and settled conditions to most areas.
“The exception will be parts of northwestern Scotland, where it will be cooler and cloudier with some rain at times. There is also a small risk of some thunder in the south late on Friday into Saturday.”
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued heat health alerts covering much of the Midlands, eastern England and south-east England over the weekend and lasting into next week.
The agency warned of “minor impacts” across health and social care services, including increased demand from vulnerable people, hotter indoor environments and a higher risk of water-related incidents.
Here is the Met Office’s five day weather forecast:
Thursday
It will be rather cloudy and breezy across many northern and northwestern areas, with outbreaks of rain at times. Elsewhere, after a grey and in places misty start with patchy rain in the west, some very warm sunshine developing.
Thursday night
Breezy, with rain spreading northeastwards across Northern Ireland and Scotland this evening, then some clearer spells overnight. Mostly clear England and Wales, though patchy fog and drizzle in the west.
Friday
Patchy rain and fog in the northwest, and some western areas at first. Otherwise dry with a good deal of very warm or hot sunshine developing. Breezy in the northwest.
Saturday to Monday
Some showers Friday night, clearing southeastwards early Saturday. Patchy rain at times in the far northwest, and some coastal mist patches. Otherwise dry. Hot sunshine by day, mostly clear overnight.
