Met Office daily weather: Temperatures on the rise as settled weather moves in

A spell of settled and increasingly warm weather is expected across much of the UK through Thursday and Friday, with some areas likely to experience heatwave conditions.

Thursday will begin with cloudy skies and patchy rain across western and northwestern Scotland, gradually clearing northwards towards Shetland through the day. Elsewhere, conditions will remain largely dry with sunny spells developing widely. There is a small risk of an isolated shower in the far southwest during the evening.

Winds will be light to moderate for most, though fresh along some western coasts. Temperatures will be near normal or warm in northern areas, and warm to very warm across the south. Central England may see locally hot conditions, with maximum temperatures expected to reach around 31°C, particularly in areas where sunshine is prolonged.

A warm and mostly dry night is expected across the UK. Patchy drizzle may affect Shetland, while there is a slight chance of a few showers, possibly with thunder, in the far southwest and later across Northern Ireland. Overnight temperatures will remain notably high, especially to the lee of high ground in western Britain, where some locations may not fall below 18-20°C.

Outlook for Friday

Friday will continue the trend of warm and settled weather. Most areas will remain dry with sunny or clear spells, although medium to high-level cloud may persist for a time, particularly during the morning, reducing solar input. There is a chance of a few showers or isolated thunderstorms moving northwards across western parts.

Temperatures will remain very warm or hot for many, though coastal areas exposed to onshore breezes may see slightly cooler conditions. Northern Scotland could see temperatures climbing into the high 20s or near 30°C, approaching local June records.

Heatwave thresholds are likely to be met in several regions, although parts of East Anglia may fall just short due to a slight dip in maximum temperatures on Friday.

READ MORE: Met Office weather extremes: What are June’s current records?

Met Office presenter and meteorologist, Alex Deakin, said: “It's not going to be hot and sunny everywhere. We'll start pretty cloudy on Thursday across western Scotland, but even here it should brighten up through the day. We'll see those temperatures rising over 30°C across the heart of England, parts of eastern Wales.

“There will be something of a breeze coming in from the North Sea, and so it won't be as hot across northern Scotland where it stays predominantly cloudy. By the time we get to Friday, we'll start to see the influence of that trough, and that'll be generating a bit more cloud at medium and high levels in the sky, and the potential for one or two scattered showers from that cloud as well, maybe even the odd rumble of thunder. But they will be pretty well scattered.

“I suspect most places will be dry. But what that will also do is generate more cloud at medium and high levels in the sky, so that does offer a bit more of a question mark about the temperatures for Friday. Yes, we're still likely to get over 30°C. The air is getting warmed by that squashing area of higher pressure, but with a bit more cloud it's hard to say exactly where the highest temperatures will be, because that'll really depend on how much sunshine we see.”

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