A brief taste of summer: Brits to bask in 29C heat blast - but Met Office warns rain will return
10 August 2023, 11:24 | Updated: 10 August 2023, 11:25
Brits are set to bask in temperatures as high as 29C today, the hottest its been since July.
For many parts of the UK, including Scotland and Wales, it will reach the mid 20s, reaching higher temperatures in the south of England.
It will only be a brief taste of summer, however, with rainy weather set to return by the weekend.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: "The big thing is obviously the temperatures. Temperature wise for today we are looking at many parts of England, Wales and southern Scotland reaching the mid 20s.
"We could see highs of 27C to 28C, possibly 29C somewhere in eastern England.'Midlands or East Midlands. Somewhere around the central parts of the UK is where you could see the highest temperature of a possible 29C."
He added: "Tomorrow is expected to be a day of 'sunshine and showers' with temperatures in the low to mid 20Cs, with the highest temperatures in East Anglia.
Mr Partridge said: "As we go into weekend we'll slowly see temperatures come back to high teens, low 20Cs through the weekend. So yes, it's short-lived unfortunately, but a brief taste of summer."
It has been a thoroughly miserable summer so far, with plenty of rain, cloud, and thunderstorms across the UK.
There have been intermittent spells of sunshine throughout July and August, though it has felt wetter and cooler than normal.
There had been hopes of an end-of-summer heatwave coming to the rescue, but the Met Office has now dampened those hopes with its new long range forecast.
Weather across the UK between August 13 and August 22 will remain unsettled, with plenty of showers and the possibility of thunderstorms.
Areas in the west of the country will see the most rainfall, while it may be drier in the south. Temperatures will remain around average, meaning it will stay around the low 20s.
If you had hopes of the final week of the month getting better, then you may be disappointed.
While the Met Office says "some extended dry and settled spells are possible", there is more chance of it remaining wetter than average.
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The Met Office forecast from August 23 to September 6 reads: "Rainfall is likely to be a mixture of organised frontal rain and showers with some of the showers possibly turning thundery.
"The potential for fleeting warm or hot spells exists, but in general, temperatures are likely to be around normal, or slightly warmer, for the time of year."
The UK's weather forecast is in stark contrast to the rest of Europe, which has been experiencing extreme heatwave and rampant wildfires.
More than a thousand people were evacuated from the Portuguese town of Odemira as the country battled raging wildfires over the weekend.
Some 800 firefighters attended a blaze on Monday, with authorities evacuating around 1,400 people.
Nine firefighters were injured tackling the wildfire, which started as temperatures soar towards 40C on the Iberian peninsula.
The town is north of Portugal's Faro district, which is home to the Algarve.
It comes amid soaring temperatures in the country, as Santarém recorded 46.4C on Monday, the hottest temperature of the year so far.
