Temperatures could reach mid-30 degrees in some parts of the UK this week, with forecasters saying the UK should prepare for its “properly warm first day of summer”.
The coming months will also see heat waves that the Met Office has previously warned are more likely due to climate change and higher concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere.
“There haven’t been many exceptionally warm or hot days this year yet, but that will change,” Met Office Steven Keates said.
“We’re ready to see a brief warm-up period by the end of next week.”
Temperatures in the south-east of England could reach 32 ºC (89.6 F) on Friday, but they could even reach the mid-1930s, the Met Office said.
This would make the area warmer than the Canary Islands, Portugal, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Cyprus.
This would also mean that at some point later in the week the country will have the hottest day of the year so far. The warmest temperature above was 27.5 ºC (81.5 ºF) recorded at Heathrow on 17 May.
Keates added that we should break the record “comfortably on Friday”, but we could bring it closer or break it on Wednesday or Thursday.
He also warned that the country could face heat waves between June and mid-September.
The Meteorological Bureau defines a heat wave as “at least three consecutive days with maximum daily temperatures reaching or exceeding the heat wave temperature threshold.” This threshold varies by region.
“We think it will be warmer than average at the moment with an increasing likelihood of heat waves,” Keates said.
“So far this year there have been no heat waves … most likely to be further south, southeast.”
In March, the Met Office updated its heatwave thresholds due to the impact of global warming. Eight counties, from Surrey to East Yorkshire, were changed to reflect “an undeniable warming trend for the UK,” the Met Office said.
Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Center, said: “Although heat waves are extreme weather events, research shows that climate change makes these events more likely.
“A scientific study by the Met Office on the summer heat wave of 2018 in the UK showed that it was 30 times more likely to occur now than in 1750 due to the higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the UK. atmosphere “.
NHS hot weather tips suggest that people stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm, get hydrated, wear sunscreen and wear casual clothing.