Met Office daily weather: Hot weather to continue with temperatures set to hit the 30s

As we head towards the end of the week, temperatures are set to rise again, with widespread warmth for many.

Thursday will begin with some early fog patches across western areas, but these will soon lift to leave a largely sunny day across much of England and Wales. Further north, Northern Ireland and particularly Scotland will see more in the way of cloud, with outbreaks of mainly light rain and drizzle persisting across the far north and northwest.

Temperatures will be widely very warm away from the cloudier far northwest and immediate coastal areas, where sea breezes will keep conditions a little fresher. The south and southwest of England are expected to be locally hot, with temperatures reaching 27-29°C widely across England and Wales. Isolated spots in the West Country and the London area may see highs of 31°C, with a low probability of reaching 32°C.

Through Thursday night, cloud and light rain or drizzle will continue to affect the far north and northwest. Elsewhere, it will remain dry with long clear spells. Some patchy fog may develop across parts of Northern Ireland, Scotland and northwest England. Overnight temperatures will remain rather warm, particularly in major towns and cities and over some higher ground, where values will stay in the high teens. However, rural areas may still experience a more comfortable night.

Outlook for Friday

Friday will bring another widely dry and sunny day. The main exception will be the extreme northwest, where it will be cloudier at first. Even here, however, increasing amounts of sunshine are expected as the day progresses. Some low cloud may linger along Irish Sea coasts.

Winds will be generally light, although moderate to strong winds are likely towards the far northwest. Temperatures will again be widely very warm, with hot conditions expected across parts of inland England, Wales and eastern Scotland. The extreme northwest will be around average to rather warm.

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The highest temperatures on Friday are forecast to reach 32°C. The main focus for temperatures exceeding 30°C will be across much of England west of the Meridian, excluding the Pennines. The West Midlands, far eastern and southeastern Wales, the M4 corridor and the West Country are all likely to experience the hottest conditions.

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Deakin, said: “It'll be a sunnier day on Thursday compared to Wednesday. Some mist and low cloud possible in around the Irish Sea as well. That may affect the east coast of Northern Ireland, the southwest of Scotland and the Isle of Man at times, but again, most places will be sunnier than today across England, Wales, Southern Scotland, Northern Ireland.

“There will be this chain of thicker cloud, rain and drizzle at times across the far north of the mainland of Scotland, the Northern Isles, and the Western Isles where as a result, as you might imagine, it will again be on the coolish side with temperatures a touch below average, perhaps in the mid-teens.

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“But elsewhere, we'll be ticking those temperatures up once more, particularly across England and Wales. First day likely to get over 30° C, but it won't be the last day this week. Now, you'll notice the coasts again a little bit cooler, particularly if it does stay a bit murky around some of those Irish Sea coasts.

“Through Thursday evening, still some of that drizzly rain across the far north, but it is showing signs of pushing away to the north. Though even the far northwest is likely to join in with the warming trend as we go into Friday and the weekend. All thanks to an  area of high pressure squashing the air and the combination of that and the sunshine this time of year will allow those temperatures to continue to rise into the weekend. The cooler air is out to the west, but instead of coming in, it kind of pulls away a little bit. So, the hot conditions are going to last through the weekend.”

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