The UK is set for its hottest day of the year after a mostly wet and cool July, with temperatures to reach up to 32C.
Yellow heat-health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are in place, covering all southern England and the Midlands.
In effect from 5pm on Thursday, the alerts will last until 11pm on Saturday and come as a result of the forecast mini-heatwave.
Find out the forecast for your area
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said he thinks “it’s quite likely we will see the hottest day of the year across the UK as a whole,” beating out the 30.5C recorded on 26 June.
Speaking on Thursday, he said: “Tomorrow I think we will see highs of around 31C, possibly close to 32C, in eastern and south-eastern England.”
The Met Office says highs of 31C are forecast for London by mid-afternoon, with Peterborough and Lincoln also seeing 29C by 5pm.
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Wales was also tipped by the forecaster to have a “close-run thing” to its hottest day of the year, with Friday’s highs “going to be around that threshold” seen in Cardiff, also on 26 June with 27.8C.
Mr Morgan added however that “it won’t be anywhere near as hot in Scotland or Northern Ireland and here they won’t see a new warmest day of the year”.
While temperatures are in much more seasonable range of 18C to 22C, light rain fall is expected by Friday evening along the west coast of Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Some torrential downpours will also move into the South West by Sunday.
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The Met Office’s website adds that while the south’s warm weather is set to last through to Saturday evening, the end of the weekend will be “fresher on Sunday after rain moves eastwards”.
In their outlook, they added it will be “blustery with rain or showers on Monday, and feeling cooler, but a fine day expected on Tuesday”.
The UKHSA’s heat health alert service covers England only, with colours including green (meaning no alert is issued); yellow (meaning a response is required); amber (an enhanced response is required); and red (an emergency response), which would indicate a significant risk to life.
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