Hot weather on the way as UK temperatures could hit 33C on Friday
By Manali Lukha, Head of ITV Weather
Well it looks like July will finish on a high (at least from a temperature point of view). We have seen a week of two halves. This week started on a wet and windy note (you would have been forgiven for thinking we had somehow transported ourselves into Autumn), but with temperatures rising, it seems summer isn't quite done with us yet.
We will end July with hot conditions across much of the UK. By Thursday we will start to draw up warmer air from the south leading to a hot end to the working week.
By Friday temperatures are forecast to reach up to 33°C in south east England, with parts of the Midlands and northern England reaching 30°C and high 20s Celsius as far north as southern Scotland.
This means Friday could be the hottest day of the year so far. There is a 50% chance at the moment. The warmest day previously was back in June 25th (33.4C).
The heat is going to be short lived however, with cooler air moving in as a cold front sweeps in from the west.
As the heat rises on Friday, we also have a threat of thunderstorms, particularly SouthEast England and up through East Anglia late afternoon and evening.
Many of us might struggle in this heat, our nights will be warmer too, but spare a thought for people in Baghdad where temperatures reached 51.8C yesterday (that’s 125 Fahrenheit!).
This could be a new record maximum for the city. The heat will continue here for a few more days. The all time record for Iraq is 53.8C in Basra in 2016. I guess this puts our heat into context!