Summer sunshine is coming and could stay for a while
It’s been a long time coming, but it may finally be about to happen. Summer sunshine is coming later this week and could stay with us for a while.
Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far, with a very warm 27.2C recorded at Heathrow airport.
Even though there’ll be a brief respite from the warmth in the coming days, high pressure will build across us from Friday onwards, bringing rising temperatures and sunshine for most places.
The reason for the change is the position of the jet stream. Later this week, it’s going to move to the north of the UK, which will steer cloud, wind and rain towards Iceland and Scandinavia, leaving us to bask in sunshine and warmth.
A quick look back at June
You may be surprised to hear that June this year has been close to average in terms of temperature and sunshine amounts.
Provisional figures from the Met Office for 1-26 June show that the UK has had 96 per cent of its normal sunshine and average maximum temperatures of 17.1C, just 0.2C below normal.
Rainfall has been the notable anomaly this June, with just 52 per cent of the average amount falling during the month – making it much drier than usual.
This is interesting for me, because I’ve had quite a few people saying how rainy it has been, when actually, it’s been much drier than we would normally expect for much of the UK.
A look ahead to mid-July
The next couple of days will be unsettled, with areas of low pressure bringing wind and rain across us at times.
However, on Friday, high pressure builds across us, bringing most places dry and sunny weather, with increasing warmth.
Through the weekend and into next week, temperatures across England and Wales are likely to reach 25-29C inland, although it’ll be cooler around coastal areas at 18-23C, thanks to sea breezes and occasional low cloud.
Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely to see temperatures fluctuate more, as there’ll be weather fronts brushing by, occasionally bringing more cloud and a little rain. Nevertheless, in the sunnier spells, temperatures here could reach 20-25C.
How long will it last?
At the moment, there’s a strong signal for the fine weather to last until the middle of the following week, although beyond that, the warmth and sunshine may become confined to England and Wales.
As ever, things can change and I’ll keep you updated here on my blog and on Twitter – @liamdutton