UK weather forecast: Hotter than the Sahara as the country is set for a sweltering 34C

The UK is experiencing a mini-heatwave, with temperatures expected to hit 30C today and possibly 34C on Friday, making it hotter than the Sahara before the mercury falls over the weekend

Brits face a scorching end to the working week with highs of 34C making it hotter than the Sahara on Friday.

Temperatures rose on Wednesday with hot air flowing north from Iberia and they will continue to rise today and tomorrow.

Highs of 30C are expected today and it will be a few degrees higher on Friday before temperatures drop over the weekend.

With unseasonably hot weather for June, this means parts of the UK will be hotter than the Sahara. In El Aaiun in Western Sahara, for example, it is unlikely to rise above 28C on Thursday or Friday.

BBC weather forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker said: “Well we will certainly be turning up the heat over the next few days.

“For the southern parts of the UK this will be a short lived heatwave and this is the peak, by Friday, London and the South East up to 33C maybe even 34C.

“Look at the average, we’re significantly higher compared to what we would normally see, not unprecedented, the record is actually just over 35C so we’re not actually beating records but it’s not that far off , if you think about it.

“This is happening now on the satellite image. Here the heat comes from the south, we have cooler air in the North Atlantic, that cooler air will eventually win. I think by Saturday, Sunday things will cool down and there will be storms coming as well, but not in the short term.”

Looking ahead to today, Mr Schafernaker said it will be hot across much of the UK but a cooler weather system is already coming into play in the far north west of the UK.

“This is how it looks Thursday morning, clear skies over England and Wales, a bit more cloud in the north west here with these Atlantic weather systems just brushing the north west British Isles and raindrops,” he said.

“Some of these showers could be a little heavy in the western islands perhaps during the day in Northern Ireland there will be a different weather system but that is Thursday night. But look at temperatures of 28C in London, widely mid 20C in Yorkshire for example we could actually hit 30C on Thursday.”

There’s also a warning about high pollen and UV levels, urging people to exercise caution when spending long periods outdoors.

Looking ahead to Friday’s weather, Mr Schafernaker continued: “This is actually going to be the peak of the heat so these south and south west winds are bringing this hot air from the south, 33C or 34C, all the hot air that comes from France.

“The northwest of the country is much fresher here, that’s the cooler Atlantic air that’s already spreading.”

But he added that temperatures will drop over the weekend.

“So the weekend is coming, like it or not, after a hot and sunny Friday, it’ll all work out,” he said.

UK forecast for the next 5 days

Restless in the north, sunny and increasingly hot in the south.

Today:

North West Britain, mainly western Scotland Cloudy with occasional rain, heavier for a while. Scattered heavier showers likely in north-east Scotland as well. Most of southern Britain sees plenty of very warm sunshine, albeit with some high cloud.

This evening:

Rain will be heavier and more widespread in the north west of Britain, along with stronger winds, although the far north west will later become drier. Southern areas mostly fine and warmer than recent nights.

Friday:

Southern locations mostly sunny; hot inland, parts of south and east very hot. Further north, the heavy rain will ease and taper off to the south, followed by lighter weather and scattered showers

Outlook for Saturday to Monday:

The rain band will drop south through Saturday, followed by much cooler weather. Clouds and rain in the south and far north-west on Sunday fair and dry elsewhere. Monday more regulated.