Soaring temperatures are set to hit the UK next week with the weather likely to improve for the start of the school summer holidays , the Met Office said.
Highs of 26C or 27C have been forecast for some areas of southern England from Tuesday and Wednesday after a weekend of cooler weather.
It comes after the UK experienced the hottest day of the year on Friday with temperatures reaching 31.9C at St James’s Park, in central London .
Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It won’t be wall-to-wall sunshine and we’ll see rain in the North on Monday and the rest of the country on Thursday.
“It also won’t be as hot as recent days but warmer than the start to July. It will be an improvement. Overall, the South East and South are likely to see the warmest temperatures next week.”
Meanwhile, the AA warned that routes to the coast would be far busier than usual this weekend as families flock to take advantage of the hot weather.
Brighton and Bournemouth, on the south coast, have already experienced heavier traffic because of day-trippers, it added.
In August, there will be “occasional very warm or hot spells” but there is “no strong signal” that high temperatures will be prolonged or widespread across the UK, he added.
East and southeast England have already seen “almost double” the rainfall expected for the whole of July, Mr Morgan said.
“I think that’s why a lot of people have welcomed the last couple of days, but Scotland and Northern Ireland have not seen the high temperatures that the rest of the UK have seen – they’re still waiting.”
Clouds will return on Saturday and higher temperatures will be restricted to the East and South East of England, which could still see 28-29C.
Heavy rain and bursts of thunder are forecast to hit Wales and southwest England on Saturday, and thunderstorms may develop in the East and South East.
During Saturday evening there will be outbreaks of rain eastwards and possibly some “heavy bursts” and thunder. Meanwhile, southern and eastern parts of the country will have another warm night.
Sunday will be fresher, brighter, drier, and will mainly stay around the low 20Cs, which is the July average. Central areas will see the most sunshine, while showers could be seen in the North West.
By Monday, the weather will be changeable but the week ahead will largely be dry. Tuesday and Wednesday will be drier and brighter with sunny spells.
On Thursday, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) urged employees to protect themselves from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
It suggested employers conduct a risk assessment for “potential UV hazards”, encouraged breaks, and recommended that staff wear clothing such as wide-brimmed hats to protect them from the sun.
Additional reporting by PA
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