A heatwave is now on course to hit the UK as soon as this weekend, July 3, July 4 and July 5, with Birmingham potentially surging to 40C by July 11 and the possibility of a staggering 41C that would smash the July record.
Timeline Brought Forward
The next UK heatwave has been brought forward amid speculation it could trigger a lengthy hot spell. The GFS model system shows 40C temperatures could be hitting Birmingham by July 11, while the UK faces a wider high of 41C.
Meteorologist Insights
Sky News meteorologist Dr Christopher England said: "Potentially turning quite hot again across the south-east this weekend, although details are uncertain at this stage, and it probably won't be anything like as hot as recently, with highs of around 30C more likely."
Luca Mercalli, the president of Italy's Meteorological Society, said temperatures were set to soar again from Sunday. "The areas affected look broadly the same as in the first wave, including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and to some extent Britain," he said.
Heat Dome Mechanism
The heatwave is being sparked by a so-called "heat dome". Netweather TV asked in a blog post: "It's July on Wednesday, we've had two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, so will July see another extreme heatwave?"
"It's still too early to say with confidence, but there are signs that we could see heat return to the south at least during the week commencing Monday 6th July, as the jet stream shifts to the north of the UK, allowing an area of high pressure to the west of France towards the Azores to extend northeast across southern UK."
The 00z ECMWF ensembles for London do suggest a corresponding rise in temperatures that week back towards or into the low 30s, with some ensemble members creeping into the mid-30s Celsius. "Need a few more days at least until it becomes more certain that heat may return," the blog added.
BBC Forecast
The BBC's Elizabeth Rizzini, Lead Weather Presenter, said: "This week, with weather coming in from the Atlantic on south-westerly winds, temperatures will fall and areas of low pressure will bring some rain. By the weekend, however, high pressure may become more dominant with another chance of a heatwave on the way."
