Sunshine after the rain! 80F five-day heatwave on the way from tomorrow is set to make the UK hotter than Crete – after torrential downpours left areas of London under three inches of water
- Britons rushed out to enjoy the warm weather this afternoon, as high-pressure front builds in the south west
- Will bring warm weather to Britain and Northern Ireland – with highs of 80.6F (27C) expected by Sunday
- It will make the UK hotter than holiday hotspot Crete, where the weekend will bring highs of 71.6F (22C)
- Weather will remain dry today with spotty showers which are ‘much lighter than in recent days’ in parts
- Warmth is thanks to ‘The Azores High’, a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of atmospheric pressure
- Pressure now settled in west of Scotland – where it will remain for week bringing record highs north of border
An 80F five-day heatwave set to hit tomorrow will make the UK hotter than Crete – after torrential rain overnight lead to ‘biblical’ flash flooding in London.
Britons rushed out to enjoy the warm weather this afternoon, as a high-pressure front building in the south west of the country brings a stretch of warm weather to Britain and Northern Ireland – with highs of 80.6F (27C) expected by Sunday.
It will make the UK hotter than popular holiday destination Crete, where the weekend will bring highs of 71.6F (22C).
The weather will remain dry and sunny for the rest of the day today, with spotty showers which are ‘much lighter than in recent days’ seen only in parts of Scotland, Wales and England, according to the Met Office.
And many sunseekers have already taken advantage of the great outdoors, with huge crowds flocking to the seaside in Bournemouth and Dorset.
The incoming warmth is thanks to ‘The Azores High’, a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of atmospheric pressure which drags tropical weather up from the coast of Africa.
The high pressure is now settled in the west of Scotland – where it will remain for a week bringing record highs north of the border.
An 80F five-day heatwave set to hit tomorrow will make the UK hotter than Crete – after torrential rain overnight lead to ‘biblical’ flash flooding in London. Pictured: People on the beach in Bournemouth
Three inches of rain in just 90 minutes made yesterday the third wettest day for west London (London, pictured) on record – with Kensington and Chiswick particularly hard hit
The weather is set to clear as the week goes on with higher temperatures expected into the weekend
Highs of 80.6F (27C) are expected in the south of the UK by Sunday, with the whole week bringing scorching weather
Three inches of rain in just 90 minutes made yesterday the third wettest day for west London on record – with Kensington and Chiswick particularly hard hit.
The waters cascaded into homes during the ‘biblical’ flash flooding, ruining treasured possessions and mementos and causing expensive damage to properties.
Last night flood waters also poured through the streets of Portobello Road in Notting Hill and in Raynes Park, south London, cars were left abandoned in around 2ft of water after torrential downpours caused travel chaos and left homes and businesses flooded.
But it was a totally different picture as the afternoon came around, with bright skies and glorious sunshine seen across the UK.
And the welcome warmth is expected to stay, with tomorrow set to be dry and sunny. As the weekend approaches, temperatures will steadily climb upwards from the mid 20’s – with warm weather inland and a welcome breeze across the coach.
Scotland is set to welcome its hottest day of the year this week as the mercury soars into the 80Fs by the weekend.
Huge crowds of beachgoers soaked up the sun in Lyme Regis, Dorset, as the rain made way for higher temperatures
Families and sunbathers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on an afternoon of scorching hot sunshine
Umbrellas and tents were out to shield beachgoers from the hot sun, as Briton braces for a heatwave
People walk through rows of lavender during the open week at Lordington Lavender in West Sussex, today
Britons (pictured in Sussex) rushed out to enjoy the warm weather this afternoon, as a high-pressure front building in the south west of the country brings a stretch of warm weather to Britain and Northern Ireland – with highs of 80.6F (27C) expected by Sunday
It will make the UK hotter than holiday hotspot Crete, where the weekend will bring highs of 71.6F (22C). Pictured: Locals walking through lavender fields in Sussex
The weather will remain dry and sunny for the rest of the day today, with spotty showers which are ‘much lighter than in recent days’ seen only in parts of Scotland, Wales and England’, according to the Met Office. Pictured: Locals walking through lavender fields in Sussex
The incoming warmth is thanks to ‘The Azores High’, a large subtropical semi-permanent centre of atmospheric pressure which drags tropical weather up from the coast of Africa. Pictured: Locals walking through lavender fields in Sussex
It’s six weeks since the country ran up a 2021 high of 78F (25.6C) at Prestwick in Ayrshire on June 2.
Now that record is about to be blown out the water with a predicted temperature of 28C (82F) on Sunday.
Sarah Kent of the Met Office said: ‘It is going to be generally very warm inland this weekend.
‘Indeed, with high pressure in place and very little wind, there’s no reason why Scotland won’t be as hot as the south east of England.’
Ironically, the prediction comes as the Met Office warns of the stark implications of climate change on Scotland.
Should temperatures increase by 4C, Scotland would experience 13 more days each year when the mercury rises above 25C (77F).
More alarmingly, a post-climate change Scotland would almost say goodbye to morning frosts as the number of days when we drop below zero would fall from 68 per year now to just 15.
For the moment, everything is pointing to a prolonged spell of warm and dry weather extending into the last week of July.
In addition, the Met Office long-range forecast is predicting ‘fine and dry’ weather right through to the middle of August.
Almost all of Scotland is on an early warning for possible water shortage this summer, with Orkney now on ‘moderate scarcity’ which is the second-highest alert on a scale operated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Ed Barry’s Over Under Coffee office in Ladbrook Grove was submerged in water after the flash floods hit last night
Jacqui, 60, said her daughter had lost everything in the flooding and tens of thousands of pounds and was not insured
Queen guitarist Brian May posted pictures online of the flood damage which ruined treasured photographs and mementos
Last night, Scottish Water repeated its plea for customers to preserve stocks as it reported reservoir levels have fallen to 77 per cent, down two per cent in a week.
Ms Kent of the Met Office added: ‘It could become unpleasantly warm as the week goes on, particularly for those who don’t like the heat.
‘Pollen levels will be on the rise as well, so there are a number of weather-related factors to consider going into the weekend.
‘We are anticipating 27C (80F) in Scotland on Saturday and a degree higher on Sunday at 28C (82F).
‘I would be very surprised if we do not see the warmest day of the year so far.’
Meanwhile, sprawling super-basements dug beneath London’s homes were today blamed for the ‘biblical’ flash flooding seen in the capital overnight.
The enormous underground caverns – popular with the wealthy wanting to expand their space – were criticised by experts and victims of the massive leaks as they counted the cost of the weather today.
Flooding expert and campaigner Mary Dhonau OBE told MailOnline flooding was caused by a jigsaw of different factors.
But the consultant – who has previously been chair of the National Flood Forum – said the rise of the ‘super-basement’ would contribute as it took away land that would previously have absorbed water to avoid flooding.
This home in Maida Vale and its glass door showed exactly how much water had fallen in the capital yesterday evening
Daisy King posted the devastating damage to her home as the water managed to get in and flood her property
She said: ‘There has got to be somewhere for the water to go. When there is rain it falls onto the ground and percolates in areas of the ground. Super-basements are being built where the water would naturally percolate.
‘There are other factors like climate change, but the more we take away permeable surfaces the more places will flood.
‘North Kensington is a prime example of land that would have soaked up water, which is now being used for super basements.
‘It is a jigsaw of things that can cause flooding. You can do things to make flooding more likely and one of those things is using more land for super-basements.’
Queen guitarist Brian May, who also lives in the area, said he was heartbroken and devastated after coming back to the ‘horror’ of finding his basement flooded with a sewage overflow which destroyed carpets, rugs and precious photos and memorabilia from over the years.
Brian, 73, who is married to former Eastenders actress Anita Dobson, 72, posted a video on his Instagram to show the extent of the ‘disgusting’ damage in their £7million home.
He admitted he didn’t ‘know where to start’ as he showed off the ‘stuff’ including ancient photos from his childhood strewn and dirtied everywhere at the bottom floor of their house.
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He said: ‘Just when you think everything is ok, nothing else is going to bite you, you can deal with life’
‘It feels like we were have been invaded, desecrated. Anita had a lifetime of memorabilia on the floor of our basement – and most of it is sodden and ruined. I had rescued all my most treasured childhood photo albums and scrapbooks from my studio house because it was threatened with a forest fire some months ago.’
‘Where did I put it all for safety ? In the basement here in Kensington. Irony. Today it turned into a sodden mess.’
‘Historically, for 150 years, Kensington has never flooded due to rainwater. Why did this happen ? It’s almost certainly the result of all the basement building that has been plaguing this area for the past 10 years.
‘The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council was warned years ago that sinking so many deep basement extensions would obstruct the aquifers underneath our living space and render the drainage system ineffective.’
In recent years researchers at Newcastle University found there were 785 large basements – going at least two storeys under the house, or one storey far under the garden, in the study carried out for The Guardian .
A further 112 were ‘mega basements’ – at three storeys in depth or two far under the garden. Some 67 are in Kensington and Chelsea, while another 34 are in Westminster.
A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: ‘Our priority is to make sure residents who have been affected by last night’s flooding have the help they need.
Overnight we have placed 120 residents in emergency hotel accommodation and are making emergency repairs this morning. We are making welfare calls to vulnerable residents and have set up a centre at The Curve in North Kensington where Council officers are on hand to support people affected. Flash floods have affected boroughs across London after sudden and torrential rainfall.
‘This is causing damage and disruption across the city, not just here in Kensington and Chelsea and is not linked to basement building.’
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