Heatwaves forecast for parts of the UK next week after ‘greyer start to weekend’

Forecasters are predicting that some areas of the UK could experience heatwaves next week following a gloomy beginning to the weekend.

Saturday is expected to start off a bit gloomy, with more showers and high temperatures in the southern and eastern parts of England. However, Sunday is looking like a mostly pleasant day for the rest of the UK.

It's going to be even hotter and more muggy next week, with temperatures expected to climb into the mid-20s. There's a chance of heatwaves in parts of central and southern England.

Starting on Wednesday, the weather is expected to become unpredictable, with a chance of intense rain and thunderstorms.

Health officials indicate that this week, the NHS website has seen a significant increase in visitors seeking advice on hay fever as the temperatures rise.

On Monday, it is predicted that the temperatures will peak at 27C in the northern part of England, and 28C in the southern and south-eastern regions of the country.

The person in charge of predicting the weather at the Met Office, Neil Armstrong, mentioned that certain regions in the central and southern parts of the country may experience temperatures close to those required for a heatwave.

A heatwave must lasts for three days in a row for it to be officially declared, and there is a chance that certain areas of the UK may experience heatwave temperatures by the middle of next week.

"Even though not everyone may reach the heatwave thresholds, most of the UK will still enjoy the best weather and hottest temperatures of the year."

This weekend, Met Office representative Andrea Bishop mentioned that the weather will be cloudier compared to what we have been experiencing.

There is a group of clouds and scattered light rain or drizzle, which will become more scattered as it moves eastward across England. Most areas will be dry with different amounts of clouds and sunshine.

The weather person said that the temperatures will be in the high teens to low 20s on Saturday evening.

According to the Met Office, there will be more clouds and light rain in Wales, central, and southern England on Sunday morning. However, the rest of the day is expected to be sunnier.

The weather expert linked the higher temperatures to the fast-moving wind in the atmosphere known as the jet stream. This wind influences pressure changes and plays a role in determining the weather patterns throughout the country.

Bishop mentioned that overall, there will be high pressure moving in from the south-west, which will result in a mostly pleasant day for the majority of people on Sunday.

The hot weather is caused by the fact that the jet stream mostly stayed to the north of us throughout June.

"It is currently moving towards the north and carrying the low pressure systems along with it, which in turn allows high pressure to come in and bring warmer air."

NHS England announced on Friday that the hay fever page of their website has received an average of 11,736 daily visits this week, a significant increase from the average of 4,749 visits per day last weekend.

During the months of March to September, hay fever tends to be most severe due to the elevated pollen levels and the presence of warm, windy, and humid weather conditions.