Is a mini-heatwave heading for the UK? Met Office issues verdict

People sit in hot weather on Deal beach in Kent during the heatwave of September 2023

The Met Office has responded to reports of an upcoming “heatwave” in the UK.

Weather maps from WXCharts suggested temperatures could reach highs of 14C in northern Scotland on May 3, an unusually high figure for the region considering temperatures this week peaked at 10C.

The maps also suggested that in other parts of the UK the mercury would hover around 18-22C between May 3 and 6, citing high-pressure systems as a reason for the drier weather.

A heatwave in the UK is declared when the temperature meets or exceeds the maximum threshold for at least three consecutive days. The threshold varies by UK county in the range of 25-28C.

However, reports of an extended period of hot weather have been played down by the Met Office. Here’s what it had to say.

Is a mini-heatwave headed for the UK?

Though temperatures could be higher next week, The Met Office has confirmed that a heatwave is not expected to hit the UK.

We can expect temperatures to remain around the average of 15C, with the potential to reach 5C higher in parts of the south.

“Looking at the long range, outlook temperatures by the end of the month are likely to be near to or a little above average, and notably warmer in comparison to where they are now (significantly below),” a Met Office spokesperson told Yahoo News UK.

“While there is a small chance temperatures could be around 5C above average, at this time of year the average maximum temperature for southern UK is only around 15C, so still not reaching heatwave criteria.”

The rest of this week will be mostly dry with sunny spells. Temperatures will then gradually trend upwards next week, with the chance of a warm to very warm spell in some southern and eastern parts.

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