15 Jul 2013

Another week of hot summer sunshine for many

What a stunning weekend of weather most of us have had. With high pressure sitting over the UK, there was an abundance of sunshine, with temperatures soaring into the low 30s in southern areas.

As I predicted in my blog on Friday, Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far, with Heathrow airport reaching 31.4C – around 8C higher than what would normally be expected in July.

Wales also had its hottest day so far this year on Saturday, with 30.2C recorded at Llysdinam, Powys.

Scotland and Northern Ireland recorded their highest temperatures of the year earlier last week, reaching 29.9C and 28.7C respectively.

This has been the longest spell of fine and hot summer weather the UK has seen since July 2006, when the temperature exceeded 28C somewhere everyday for a fortnight.

Where is the jet stream?

As is it has been for the last week, the jet stream is to the north of the UK, steering low pressure, cloud and rain towards Iceland, leaving us to bathe in the summer sunshine.

This is a remarkable change of fortunes compared with last summer, when the jet stream was unusually far south, putting us in the path of rain, rain and more rain.

At the moment, it looks like the jet stream will stay to the north of us for at least another week, bringing most places more fine weather. However, it will get close enough to the north of Scotland to bring more cloud and some rain here at times.

How hot will it be this week?

England and Wales will again see the highest temperatures, as this is where the best of the sunshine will be. 24-30C can be expected, with south east England getting as high as 32C on Wednesday.

Whilst there’ll be plenty of sunshine generally, some coastal areas will be cooler due to mist, low cloud and sea breezes. There could also be an odd thundery downpour for inland areas, but these will be the exception rather than the rule.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will be a little more mixed this week. Until midweek, there’s likely to be quite a bit of cloud, with some rain brushing western Scotland and the north coast of Northern Ireland at times.

As a result, temperatures of 17-23C are likely at first, rising to 20-26C as sunshine amounts generally increase as the week progresses.

What about pollen and UV?

Pollen levels are going to be high or very high for most places this week, so hay fever sufferers will not be pleased.

UV levels will generally be high away from the cloudier areas, so don’t forget the sun cream. Even if there is a refreshing breeze, you can still burn quickly as UV levels are not temperature dependent.

Don’t forget, you can find the latest five day forecast for your location on the Channel 4 Weather website. If you take any good weather pictures, then please send them to me on Twitter – @liamdutton

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