Mini heatwave set to hit UK on bank holiday weekend with 'highs of 29C'
Britain could see a mini heatwave arrive in time for the bank holiday weekend, according to long-range weather forecasts.
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Temperatures could surge to 27C in and around London next Saturday, while highs could reach 25C in East Anglia and 22C in parts of the Midlands.
The mercury is expected to get warmer as the weekend progresses, according to the ECMWF weather model.
Projected maps are forecasting highs of 28C in the capital on the Sunday, while the Monday is expected the be the warmest with temperatures of 29C in the south-east.
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High pressure from the south is expected to quickly build as we approach the bank holiday weekend which will bring "fine and dry conditions', the Met Office has said.
In its forecast for May 20 to 29, the forecaster added: "Thereafter, high pressure is expected to broadly remain the dominant influence across much of the UK, with spells of fine weather."
It continued: "Low pressure will be positioned to the north, and will at times allow some rain or showers to cross the country.
"Overall across the period, temperatures are expected to be above normal with winds often light for many."
The standardised heatwave threshold, according to the Met Office, varies from 25C to 28C across parts of the UK depending on the location.
It stands at 28C in the south-east of the country and drops to 25C further north.
It is set to follow a weekend mix of sunshine and showers this weekend as thousands of people across the country headed to London for major protests.
The forecaster said tomorrow would be "another day of sunshine and showers", with about 10-20 mm of rain in some parts of England and even the risk of thunder and lightning in the south east.
"We’ll see that rain nudging up towards Orkney as well as Shetland”, forecaster Claire Nasir said, adding "as we head into lunch time in Northern Ireland, after a dry start here, you’ll see some showers gathering (in) western parts of Scotland".