Heatwave incoming! Brits to bask in 23C in hotter than usual May

Heatwave incoming! Brits to bask in glorious sunshine as temperatures climb to 23C in hotter than usual May – but prepare to get your brolly out first as rain is also on the way

  • Meteorologist Marco Petagna said the weather could get ‘very warm’ later this month, peaking as high as 23C
  • Met Office says dry conditions expected across England and Wales Thursday with ‘plenty of warm sunshine’
  • Pictures from today show sunseekers out in force, donning shorts and sunglasses on beaches in Weymouth

Britons should brace for a heatwave from mid-May due to hotter than normal temperatures which will start climbing from Saturday, the Met Office has said.

Meteorologist Marco Petagna said the weather could get ‘very warm’ later this month, peaking at around 22C or 23C in the south of England.

He added there was a ‘small chance’ that temperatures could rise into the mid-twenties, meaning a ‘brief’ heatwave – with this weekend said to bring ‘very warm conditions’ in the south, including highs of 20C in London.  

‘Temperatures are several degrees above where they should be at this time of year,’ he said.

Pictures from today showed sunseekers already out in force, with beachgoers donning shorts and sunglasses in Weymouth, Dorset, while basking under the sun in deck chairs.

The sun was also shining in Oxfordshire, where people rocked shorts and t-shirts to stroll along the glorious Thames Path.  

However other sun-starved Brits were forced to break out their brollies today, with pockets of rain falling across northern and western areas. 

This rainfall was predicted to move southeastwards, turning showery and heavy in places with some hail and thunder across central and eastern areas this afternoon, before becoming drier and brighter in the west.

Meteorologist Marco Petagna has said the weather could get ‘very warm’ later this month, peaking at around 22C or 23C in the south of England. (Pictured: Friends sitting in deck chairs on the beach basking in the hot sunshine at the seaside resort of Weymouth in Dorset on May 4, 2022)

There is a ‘small chance’ that temperatures could rise into the mid-twenties later this month, meaning a ‘brief’ heatwave – with this weekend said to bring ‘very warm conditions’ in the south. (Pictured: Beachgoers enjoy the sunshine in Weymouth in Dorset today) 

Some Brits saw wetter conditions today with pockets of showers in the north (Pictured: Storm clouds hover above Tynemouth this afternoon) 

Temperatures already reached as high as 19C in the south today and 17 degrees in typically chillier Scotland 

However sun-starved Brits may have to break out their brollies first, with outbreaks of rain falling across northern and western parts today, before moving southeastwards this afternoon (pictured) 

Tonight will see showers clearing the far southeast, while skies will clear in the southwest, providing chilly conditions with a few fog patches, while in the northwest it will be cloudy and damp. 

Things are looking up for Thursday however, with dry conditions expected across England and Wales with ‘plenty of warm sunshine’, especially in the south and east. 

The forecaster predicts highs of 20C in London tomorrow, dropping to 19C in Birmingham and 17C in Manchester.  

However it will be cloudier across Northern Ireland and Scotland with some rain and drizzle at times.

The Met forecast adds: ‘Band of rain, locally heavy, moves southeast across the UK Friday, thereafter settled weather following for the weekend. 

‘Warm or very warm, especially in the south.’ 

London and the midlands will see highs around 20C at the weekend before the mercury in capital climbs to 21C from Tuesday.

Manchester will see highs of 18C this weekend and into next week.  

From May 18 onwards the Met office predicts: ‘There looks to be a change moving into the second half of May, with more unsettled conditions bringing spells of rain or showers for most. 

‘Drier spells are also likely, particularly in the south, as is typical for late spring. 

‘Temperatures will continue to be above average, especially in the south where it could be very warm early in the period. 

‘Further north, a return to nearer normal temperatures is possible later in the month.’

It comes after an April that has seen average maximum temperatures generally above normal for the month, with showers proving few and far between.

Things are looking up for some from Thursday, with dry conditions expected across England and Wales with ‘plenty of warm sunshine’, especially in the south and east. (Pictured: People make the most of the warm and sunny weather along the Thames Path in Oxfordshire on May 4 2022)

It comes after an April that has seen average maximum temperatures generally above normal for the month, with showers proving few and far between. (Pictured: People make the most of the warm and sunny weather along the Thames Path in Oxfordshire on May 4 2022)

Southern England was particularly dry in April, the Met Office said, with just 36 per cent of its average rainfall. (Pictured: People make the most of the warm and sunny weather along the Thames Path in Oxfordshire on May 4 2022)

The hottest temperature this year was set on Good Friday in St James’ Park, London, where the Met Office recorded a high of 23.4C.  (Pictured: People make the most of the warm and sunny weather along the Thames Path in Oxfordshire on May 4 2022)

The UK had around a third less rainfall than its average for the month, according to a Met Office blog, with England and Wales the driest UK nations.

Southern England was particularly dry, the forecaster said, with just 36 per cent of its average rainfall.

The hottest temperature this year was set on Good Friday in St James’ Park, London, where the Met Office recorded a high of 23.4C.

‘High pressure has been the prime influence of UK weather in April 2022, bringing with it a good period of calm and settled weather,’ Dr Mark McCarthy, of the National Climate Information Centre, said.

April also saw more days of air frost than February – an average of 5.9 days compared to 5.4 days during the second month of the year.

It is only the sixth time April has been frostier than either January of February since 1961.

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