As the temperature rises there has been much speculation about whether the UK will not only get its hottest ever day on record, but if that hottest day could smash through the 40C barrier. Such a temperature would be unprecedented in the UK and would spark concerns over health and the impact of global warming.
An amber warning for extreme heat has already been issued and temperatures on Tuesday (July 12) could hit 33C in the southeast. And while it may be less hot on Wednesday and Thursday, the mercury could still peak in the high 20s.
All eyes on are the coming weekend when high temperatures over the continent will spread to the UK, and from Sunday into Monday parts of the southeast of England could see temperatures exceeding 35C, although details are still uncertain the Met Office says. It has now addressed the question of whether the UK will see its hottest every day.
The hottest temperature recorded in the UK is 38.7C at Cambridge Botanic Garden on July 25, 21019. And looking ahead to the next seven days, some weather modelling has suggested maximum temperatures over 40C.
Above, you can see the weather prediction for Monday at 4pm from Ventusky.
The Met Office’s Rebekah Sherwin said: “Weather forecast models are run hundreds of times to determine the most likely weather outcome. For late in next weekend and early next week, some runs of these models are allowing exceptionally high temperatures to develop, which is something we’ll be monitoring closely and adding details in the coming days.
“Some models have been producing maximum temperatures in excess of 40C in parts of the UK over the coming weekend and beyond. At longer time scales temperature forecasts become less reliable, so whilst these figures can’t be ruled out, they are still only a low probability. A number of weather scenarios are still possible and at the current time, mid- or perhaps high-30s are looking more likely.”
