Autumn heatwave to hit UK this week following 'worst summer ever'

An autumn heatwave is expected to hit parts of the UK this week, following what many have described as the "worst summer ever" due to the high amount of rainfall.

A warm and pleasant weekend could herald some fine conditions for the first week of meteorological autumn, beginning on Monday, as many schools go back after the summer break.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said “29C is certainly possible, and we may also climb towards 30C” by midweek as Britons enjoy temperatures not seen since the start of July.

The summery conditions can be tracked to a jet stream, which has been delivering largely unsettled spells of weather to the UK.

It is continuing to shift north, allowing higher pressure to build widely across the UK during the weekend and into next week, according to the Met Office.

There is also the influence of former tropical cyclone Franklin which is still moving into the north Atlantic and amplifying the build-up of high pressure.

'Worst summer ever' was actually one of warmest

Summer 2023 was unusually wet, with 11% more rainfall than average for the UK - but it was also recorded as being the eighth warmest on record.

After the hottest June recorded since 1884, July was the sixth wettest, and rainfall in August was just below the long-term mean average.

Of the top 10 warmest summers on record, 2023 has been the wettest, with Northern Ireland having its wettest July on record.

Across the UK, the average mean temperature this summer was 15.4C, which is 0.8C above the average.

Minimum average temperatures were also high – 11C – which is the fourth highest on record.

Wales and Northern Ireland saw their highest average minimum temperatures for the summer while Scotland had its fifth highest and England its seventh.

Northern Ireland also saw 27% more rain than average, though not enough to trouble any records, the Met Office said.

There was less sun for most people during August, with the UK seeing 8% fewer sunshine hours than normal, and this was most pronounced in Wales which saw 21% fewer sunshine hours.

For the summer as a whole, the UK had slightly above the average number of sunshine hours, with Scotland being furthest from the norm with a 15% increase.

Two storms in the summer’s final month, Antoni on August 5 and Betty on August 19, helped contribute to the mixed feel of dry and wet weather throughout the season.

“The lion’s share of fine and settled weather in summer 2023 for the UK occurred in June, when high pressure was widely established bringing many dry days of warm summer sunshine.

“After that, however, the jet stream shifted much further to the south, with low-pressure systems often bringing rather wet and windy conditions to the UK through much of July and August.”

Warm weather draws in for first week of autumn

Meteorologists predict temperatures will rise to the high 20s next week as a tropical hurricane in the Atlantic pushes high pressure towards the UK.

Mr Vautrey added: “As we head into the new working week, high pressure is going to be staying with us for the vast majority.

“The best and most prolonged amount of sunshine will be further towards the south of the UK, with the cloud just coming and going a touch more across the far north and stretching down into central Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland as well.

“Temperatures will be continuing to climb widely into the mid-20s if not the high 20s by the time we reach Tuesday and Wednesday – 29C is certainly possible and we may also climb towards 30C in a few spots as well, and that is a temperature we haven’t reached since the very start of July.

“We might be into meteorological autumn, but it is giving us something a bit more summery that many of us have been missing.”

The Met Office said that as high pressure becomes established from this weekend, fine and settled conditions will develop and along with this there will be a rise in temperature across most parts of the UK next week.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Chris Bulmer previously said: “Many places can expect to see maximum temperatures rise to 25C or above for several days, which would bring some locations into the realm of heatwave conditions.

“Although the highest temperatures are likely to be in the south and east of England, these areas also have higher temperature thresholds for heatwave conditions to be declared.

“So, while some areas may just miss out on the actual definition, regardless of thresholds, many areas will enjoy a fine period of weather with plenty of sunshine and temperatures are likely to be the highest for many since June or early July.”

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