UK to roast as scorching 34C blast hits major cities but 2 regions miss out

Britain will suffer a very real north-south divide in the coming days as parts of the country bask under 34C, while Scotland and Northern Ireland struggle to hit the 20s. New forecast maps from WXCharts and Netweather.tv show a distinct line of temperature difference almost exactly across the border between Scotland and England on Tuesday August 12, with everywhere south of Hadrian's Wall looking set to get a Mediterranean-like blast.

Almost all of Wales, northern, central and southern England will be baking in heatwave conditions with major cities like London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester all in the firing line for peak readings on the thermometer. A yellow heat health alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covering London, Yorkshire and the Humber, the East Midlands, East of England, the South East and South West, and will be in place from 12pm on Monday until 6pm on Wednesday.

In stark contrast on Tuesday charts show much of Scotland Northern Ireland will be barely able to hit 20C, with Glasgow likely to record only 17C and Belfast reaching a fresh 19C. The warm air hitting the rest of the UK is being driven in the wake of Tropical Storm Dexter,which is heading across the Atlantic.

Grahame Madge, spokesman for the Met Office, said: "The general pattern is that we'll see temperatures start to increase from Sunday and the duration of the heat is likely to last until Tuesday, possibly Wednesday.

"We're likely to see temperatures get to high 20s across quite a lot of the UK, and in the south we're likely to see the possibility of temperatures reaching mid-30s degrees centigrade across parts of central, southern and eastern England, with the likelihood that the heat will probably last longest in places like East Anglia, up through Lincolnshire and into Yorkshire."

Exact temperatures cannot yet be identified but parts of the UK will be enjoying a "hot spell" during the week, Mr Madge said.

The hottest day of the year so far saw 34.7C recorded at St James's Park in central London on July 1. The heatwave threshold is met when a location records at least three consecutive days with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value, according to the Met Office.

This is 25C for most of the UK, but rises to 28C in London and its surrounding area, where temperatures are typically higher.

"I think we we could be seeing parts of the UK have another heatwave by the middle of next week," Mr Madge said.

"I'd be surprised if areas didn't make it on the duration and temperature value, but some places might reach those thresholds for a day or two before the temperatures come back down."

He added the forecast becomes less clear beyond the middle of the week. The latest warning comes after the UK has already experienced three heatwaves this summer.

A combination of amber and yellow heat health warnings were issued across England in June and July when temperatures exceeded 30C in several parts of the country. Several water companies were forced to issue hosepipe bans for activities such as watering the garden, cleaning cars and filling paddling pools as part of efforts to protect supplies in the face of dry and hot weather.

This Evening and Tonight:

A band or locally heavy rain drifts south across Scotland with strong winds. Elsewhere, it will be mostly dry with clear spells and lighter winds, some patchy fog is possible.

Saturday:

Remaining rather windy across Scotland with showers. A little rain at first across northern England. Otherwise, dry with plenty of warm sunny spells and generally light winds.

Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:

Changeable in the north, with occasional spells of rain or showers and often quite windy. Mostly dry in the south, with sunny spells. Temperatures increasing, turning hot in the south.