Some warmer weather is expected across parts of Britain this week as the school holidays come into full swing – but, as has been the theme for much of this summer, it may not last for long.
Rain returned over the weekend following Friday’s scorching heat, with the Met Office advising that Monday could bring yet more rain and cloudy conditions for many.
While not expected to reach the 31°C heights of that hottest day of the year, the forecaster said it should feel warmer in the sunshine than yesterday, while Tuesday is set to be warm and sunny with some scattered showers.
The Met Office predicts sunshine and some showers on Wednesday, a breezy Thursday with rain for most, and showers in the north but drier conditions in the south on Friday.
Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon told i: “A changeable week of weather is in store for the UK, with a mixture of sunshine, showers and even some longer spells of rain.
“While Tuesday will be a drier interlude for many, Wednesday sees the return of some showers to the west with patchy cloud and some sunshine further south and east. However, Thursday will see some more persistent rain arrive from the west and move gradually eastwards, with some of this likely to be heavy in nature. With more sporadic showers likely on Friday and Saturday, Sunday is likely to see some more settled weather develop for a time, though exactly how this will take shape is still open to some uncertainty at this range.
“There’s a chance of high pressure becoming established from Sunday and into the early part of next week, though those further north and west still have a chance of seeing cloud and showers at times. Throughout this period, temperatures are likely to be slightly below or around average, with highs this week likely to be around the mid-20s Celsius in the southeast”.
According to the UK’s long-range weather forecast last updated on Sunday afternoon, Friday’s mixed conditions are likely to become “more settled” into next weekend as the south sees “potential for warmer or thundery conditions for a time”.
Looking ahead to next week, when the majority of schools across England and Wales will join their counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland on summer holidays, the Met Office forecast continued: “Changeable weather patterns seem likely to resume early in August.
“Showers and occasional spells of rain are likely to affect all regions at times. However, some drier and brighter interludes are also expected, these are most likely to be in southern and eastern regions. The most frequent spells of wet weather are most likely to be across northern and western areas.
“Temperatures mostly close to or slightly above average for a time, with any warmer spells generally short-lived”.
Short-lived as those warmer spells may be, the current forecast for the rest of August does mention conditions that are both warmer and drier than average for the time of year: “Through the period as a whole, drier than average conditions are more likely than wetter than average.
“Warmer than average conditions are also weakly favoured overall, with a slightly enhanced likelihood of short-lived hot spells”.
Mr Dixon added: “The long-range outlook for early August suggests what most likely is drier weather further south, with showers and rain more frequent further north and west. There remains a signal for some more changeable interludes of weather through the first half of August, with some periods of low-pressure bringing periods of more unsettled weather at times.
“As always, details will become clearer nearer the time, so it’s important to keep up to date with the latest forecast through the summer”.
The predictions of some warmer and drier conditions should come as some consolation to Britons bemoaning what has been a relatively unsettled summer so far.
Dr Simon Lee, a lecturer in atmospheric science at the University of St Andrews, told i last week that despite what it feels like, we are far from seeing the dampest summer ever recorded.
“The fact that it’s been unusually cold and unusually wet in July is what has contributed to this sense of a poor summer,” he said. “But compared with the wettest summers on record, we are still a long way off.”
The back half of June was drier and warmer than typical for the time of year, which went some way to offsetting a particularly cold start to last month and what has been one of the wettest starts to July (usually when the UK can expect the warmest summer weather) on record.