Met Office has say on ‘heatwave that will make UK hotter than Spain’

Reading Festival fans head home in the sunshine on Bank holiday Monday (Picture: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock)

The end of the summer holidays is set to bring a last gasp of sunny weather, with Brits hoping for an eleventh-hour heatwave.

Some headlines have said the UK will even be hotter than Barcelona this week, with temperature hitting hotter than 30°C.

And while the Met Office forecast isn’t quite as fulsome, there is hope of hot weather ahead.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist Nick Silkstone said: ‘There is a warmer interlude of weather on the way for those in the south and east of the UK from the middle of the week.

‘Temperatures on Wednesday could peak at 29°C in the southeast, with some good spells of sunshine for much of England and Wales.’

London and areas like Essex and Kent will get the brightest weather, while those in Scotland will have to make do with heavy rain.

There are even even yellow weather warnings in place today for southwest Scotland, including Dumfries and Galloway, South Lanarkshire, and the Scottish Borders.

Wet and windy conditions near Tower Bridge, London as storm Lilian hit on Friday (Picture: PA)

The risk of flooding and persistent rain will last until the evening, but further south will be a different story with dry weather and bright spells before getting hotter tomorrow.

Mr Silkstone continued: ‘While this initial warmth will be relatively short-lived, with a return towards average temperatures by Thursday, the weather will continue with a drier and more settled theme during the second half of the week under the influence of high pressure.

‘The main exception to this will likely be the ongoing chance of some cloud and rain arriving across the northwest later in the week, though even here there should be some drier and brighter interludes.’

The summer that never quite came

It comes after a disappointing summer for many, with the UK lashed by the tail end of Hurricane Ernesto, which by the time it reached us had become Storm Lilian.

Leeds Festival was disrupted when at least two stages had to close due to gale-force winds battering the site. Viral videos showed tents flying through the wind, leaving revellers in tears.

We even had the treat of a toxic gas cloud sweeping towards us from a volcanic eruption in Iceland, bringing sulphur dioxide gas and risk of irritation to lungs and eyes.

But it seems that there are some barbecues and beach days still in store; at least for those below Birmingham.

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