How long UK heatwave will last as Brits set to bake in soaring 36C highs

Brits are set for scorching temperatures peaking at 36C this week and many holidaymakers will be wondering how long the heatwave will last.

The UK saw plenty of sunshine and dry spells with a succession of heat waves so far this year but it was been a mixed start to August. Storm Floris brought heavy rain and ferocious winds last week especially to the north of the country and and after an unsettled spell the temperatures have climbed again. A heatwave is on the cards across the UK this week as weather maps suggest temperatures could rise well into the 30Cs and remain elevated until Saturday.

The hot spell would mean the fourth heatwave of the summer so far. A combination of high pressure and a southerly airflow will see temperatures rise for much of England and Wales over the first half of the week, with temperatures reaching in excess of 30°C for some on Monday and likely peaking towards the mid-30s in London on Tuesday. It comes after a BT warning for anyone who still has a UK landline in their home.

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And the Met Office says: "Met Office heatwave criteria, where a specific threshold must be exceeded for three consecutive days, are likely to be reached by Wednesday for much of southern and central England."

GFS weather model maps show temperatures could rise to 31C in southern England at around 6pm today. London is expected to hit 30C, with the Midlands rising as high as 29C and the north of England hitting 26C.

Tuesday's temperature maps show the mercury peaking at 36C with the warmest area again being the southeast. Highs of 31C to 33C could come quite widely across southern and central England as well as Wales. Parts of Scotland could hit 26C, and Northern Ireland can expect 24C.

On Wednesday, the maps suggest the heat will be most intense in central and eastern England where the low to mid-30Cs can be expected. Temperatures for Thursday and Friday are again expected to reach at least 30C before dropping below the heatwave threshold on Saturday.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Tom Crabtree said: “Warmth is the focus in the forecast in the first half of this week, with temperatures likely to peak on Tuesday around the mid-30s, but remaining above average in the second half of the week, particularly further to the southeast.

“The exception to the widely warm conditions will be northwest Scotland on Monday, where showers will be more frequent. Warmth will develop there from Tuesday with temperatures peaking in the mid to high 20s.”

And Greg Dewhurst, a senior meteorologist at the Met Office, said the temperatures over coming days mean some parts of the country will meet heatwave criteria as early as Tuesday.

He said: “Temperatures are going to rise over the coming days, particularly across England and Wales, but it is not going to be felt quite as much across parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland – it’s not going to be widespread heat everywhere.

“And the reason for that is we’ve got high pressure to the south east of the UK at the moment and low pressure to the north west and west.

“But through Monday, we start importing some of that hot and humid air, and we’re looking at highs of around 31C across central and southern England, with the rest of England and Wales getting towards the high 20s, and Northern Ireland and parts of Scotland in the low 20s.

“The heat may spark one or two heavy showers and thunderstorms across south-west England and Wales, but they’ll be very isolated. And then Tuesday looks largely dry, with plenty of sunny spells – it could well be the peak of the heat.

“Temperatures are set to rise to about 33C across central and southern England, but again, this could spark off a thunderstorm by the afternoon and evening time. And some places will hit heatwave thresholds on Tuesday, while some places will hit it on Wednesday – it depends on the area.”