Britons can expect a brief return of summer this weekend as temperatures soar to an “intense” 33C before thunderstorms cloud the sky.
The Met Office said warm air will move up from Europe on Saturday and through Sunday and Monday, before temperatures dip once again on Tuesday.
England and Wales will see temperatures hit high 20s and low 30s while Scotland and Northern Ireland will feel slightly cooler with low 20s forecast.
Britain has seen a largely drizzly and grey summer so far, with only brief periods of heat and sunshine being seen across the nation.
Sunseekers will be happy to hear that this drizzly and overcast weather is expected to clear throughout Saturday with the mercury rising into the 20s across England and Wales as the evening approaches.
Sunday and Monday are expected to be the warmest days, with highs expected to reach 33C in London, 26C in Manchester, 22C in Glasgow and 21C in Belfast.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Dan Suri, said: “Tropical Storm Debby in North America is helping to strengthen the jet stream, and is causing it to meander over the Atlantic. This will allow hot air to move into the UK later this weekend, and early next week.
“Temperatures are likely to reach the low 30° Celsius in places, notably in the south and southeast. Further north and west within this warm air, outbreaks of heavy showers or thunderstorms are possible. As well as the hot daytime temperatures, a very warm night is also expected on Sunday night into Monday”.
But “severe thunderstorms” and periods of heavy rainfall are also possible across parts of the UK over the weekend and Storm Debby, which battered parts of the southern US earlier this week, could interfere and bring unseasonable winds to some western areas, the forecaster warned.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicky Maxey said: “The hot spell is short-lived but quite intense.”
She added: “Temperatures are due to peak on Monday and rapidly return to average on Tuesday and Wednesday.”
The increasingly hot and humid air mass will push across the southern half of the UK bringing with it the potential for heavy rain, particularly in the east through Monday.
According to Ms Maxey, it is not unusual to see short spells of warm weather and this is not considered a heatwave as temperatures need to exceed a specific threshold over three consecutive days in order to meet the criteria.
Met Office five day forecast:
Friday: Morning cloud and patchy rain across southern England will quickly clear to leave a fine and sunny day. Sunny spells and scattered showers elsewhere, most frequent in the north. Gusty winds across central and northern areas. Warm towards the southeast.
Friday night: Showers continuing across the northwest this evening. Clear spells elsewhere, though overnight cloud and patchy rain will move into western areas. Remaining breezy in the north.
Saturday: Cloud and patchy rain across England and Wales will gradually lift and break as the day progresses, though some southern areas staying cloudy. Brighter further north with scattered showers.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday: Sunny spells on Sunday and Monday, with an increasing risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms. Hot and humid towards the southeast. Slowly becoming generally more unsettled and cooler from Tuesday.
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