Brits could be set for a three-month spell of warm weather as temperatures ramp up ahead of summer.
This weekend saw highs of 23C, with the warm temperatures set to continue into the week. 2022 saw a record breaking heatwave in July, with temperatures peaking at 40.3C.
This broke previous records, leaving some weather experts concerned at the uncomfortably high temperatures. And the Met Office have suggested this year could break more records.
The service said a much-hotter-than-normal three months to the start of August is seven times more likely than a much-cooler-than-average period.
Nick Finnis, from Netweather, said: “In summary, for all three summer months, there is a unanimous signal from all models for above average temperatures in most of the UK over June, July and August. The rainfall signal is more mixed and less clear, with generally no signal for wetter or drier, so on balance, average across all three months.”
According to Met Office figures, if the UK average temperature rises by just 1.2C in the coming three months, this summer will go down as the new hottest on record, Daily Star reports. The long-range outlook issues a startling warning, which has been echoed in briefings to the government.
They said: “There is an increased chance of hot conditions. But this does not imply continuous heatwave conditions, and there could be less extreme levels of warmth than heatwaves.”
Several countries across Europe last year saw sweltering figures as the Cerberus heatwave struck seeing many record their warmest day ever. While the scorching wave didn’t reach the UK, average temperatures saw 2023 named the joint warmest summer since records began.
The Met Office outlook for this summer said there is a 35 per cent probability of much-warmer-than-average temperatures over the next three months, compared to just a five per cent chance of much cooler conditions.
Friday 24 May – Sunday 2 Jun
Most likely an unsettled start to the period with showers in the west and perhaps longer periods of rain in the northeast, although still some settled weather in between. Over the bank holiday weekend a band of rain likely to arrive from the west, becoming weaker as it moves east and becoming more showery in nature with scattered showers also following. Into the new week increasingly settled conditions more likely for most, though rain may threaten north-western areas whilst some southern or eastern areas occasionally less settled with showers more likely later in the period though there will be some sunshine between them, the best of this in south-western parts. Temperatures are likely to be a little above average, but some large spatial differences are likely.
Monday 3 Jun – Monday 17 Jun
Relatively weak signals for conditions to be markedly different from climatology through the first half of June. That said, both temperatures and rainfall are more-likely to be a little above average overall, with further rain or showers (possibly heavy/thundery at times) but also some spells of warm sunshine.
