Met Office issues yellow warning for Scotland before sunshine breaks through later in week

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Britain will experience a brief heatwave this week, but not before a storm brings torrential rain and strong gales to some areas.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for western parts of Scotland on Sunday and Monday, with thunderstorms, heavy rain and a risk of flooding. Rain and strong winds were also forecast to hit parts of Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales on Sunday.

The wet spell is predicted to last for a few days before the sunshine breaks through, with temperatures soaring as parts of the UK reach heatwave conditions.

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The temperature is expected to peak at 34C (93F) across central, southern and eastern areas but sunshine will be sandwiched between periods of rain and thunderstorms.

Thunderstorms are likely to hit western parts of England on Tuesday and Wednesday, forecasters say, before a drier sunny spell takes over.

For England and Wales, temperatures are forecast to gradually increase from peaking in mid-week, before dropping slightly on Friday, with occasional showers.

“There’s still a lot of sunshine around for the weekend and temperatures probably look to be not quite as hot, but with a summery feel staying for the weekend.”

If temperatures stay high in the same spots for three consecutive days, the Met Office classifies it as a heatwave.

Andy Page, the chief Met Office meteorologist, said: “As we head into next week, temperatures will increase daily across much of England and Wales as hot air is drawn up from France and Spain. Temperatures could reach 34C by Wednesday in parts of central, southern or eastern areas and heatwave thresholds are likely to be reached in some places.”

The temperature is predicted to peak in London at 32C on Wednesday. On Tuesday, it could reach 28C in Manchester, 30C in Bristol and 29C in Birmingham and Brighton.

In Scotland, rain could continue later into the week, with periods of strong wind bringing a risk of coastal gales. But in the south and south-east, drier and warmer weather, which could be hot and humid at times, is predicted, with the risk of thunderstorms.

Looking ahead to next weekend, the Met Office expects temperatures to fall.

A Met Office spokesman said: “There’s some uncertainty though on just how long the heatwave conditions will last for.

“It looks most likely that, at least by Saturday, most areas will see a bit of a drop in temperatures.”