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UK heatwave: Flamin' June continues

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Deep blue skies above Lincoln Castle with green trees in the foreground.Image source, 大象传媒 Weather Watchers / Walking Tractor

With many parts of the United Kingdom officially in a heatwave, there will be some who are enjoying this warm weather while others struggle in the heat.

Either way, this "flamin' June" is set to continue for at least a few more days with temperatures staying in the mid- to high 20s.

We will start to see a breakdown over the weekend as showers approach.

This will be welcome rain for some parts that haven't had rain now for a month.

Heatwaves in June aren't uncommon but what has been more unusual is how early on in our summer we have had temperatures so high.

Through the last week the highest recorded temperature has been 32.2 C in Chertsey, Surrey.

You have to go back to 1996 to find temperatures recorded so high so early in the year.

For this period of hot weather to be officially called a heatwave by the Met Office, temperature thresholds of 25 to 28 degrees - depending on where you live - need to be exceeded for three continuous days or more.

Image caption,

UK Met Office threshold temperatures needed for three or more days to be classed as a heatwave

Many parts of England, Wales and southern Scotland have fallen into that very specific heatwave definition this week.

As of Thursday, areas such as Glasgow, the Lake District, Manchester, Wrexham, Oxfordshire and Greater London are on day five of this heatwave.

What has caused the heatwave?

For over two weeks now we have generally had a large area of high pressure centred close to the UK.

High pressure means that air descends in the atmosphere towards Earth and like a sponge, squeezes out moisture and gives clear skies.

While this squeeze brings higher temperatures, there is also the combining factor of increased sunshine heating the Earth's surface and our air coming from the warmer south.

Image source, WEATHER WATCHERS / MR BLUE SKY
Image caption,

Blue skies and colourful boats in Woolverstone, Suffolk

There have been a few exceptions - isn't there always is in the UK?

Eastern coasts have been plagued by cloud which has tended to drift in from the North Sea, keeping temperatures here around two degrees cooler than the June average.

Image source, 大象传媒 Weather Watchers / Alfie
Image caption,

Heat and humidity built up, bringing lots of thunderstorms

We have also had some large thunderstorms as more humid air travelled in earlier this week.

These thunderstorms gave some very localised high rainfall totals.

Drumnadrochit in Highland recorded 51 mm of rain on Tuesday making it the wettest June day on record for that location and close to all of June's average rainfall.

In contrast it has now been over a month - 32 days, to be exact - since Manston in Kent had any measurable rain.

Is there any end to the heat?

In the coming days low pressure will start to nudge in from the south-west, bringing rain-bearing weather fronts.

This will bring showers or thunderstorms to western areas of the UK at first before they become a bit more widespread by Sunday and into next week.

Some parts will therefore get their first bit of rain in weeks.

Temperatures will come down on Sunday into the low to mid-20s so while the heatwave will end, it will still be warmer than the June average of 17 to 20 degrees Celsius.

There are some signs that the heat may in fact start to build again next week.

Stay tuned to the forecast and for all the up-to-date information and analysis you can follow 大象传媒 Weather on and .