UK weather set for dismal change after one of the hottest days in history

A ‘plume of rain’ is headed towards us, as the weather makes a handbrake turn from one of the hottest days ever recorded in the UK.

Monday was the hottest day of the year so far with 34.8°C reached in Cambridgeshire, making 2024 one of only 11 years since 1961 to have a day so warm.

Of those 11 years, six were in the last decade, the Met Office said.

But although our neighbours further south in Europe are still baking, with wildfires encroaching on Athens, the hot spell in the UK was shortlived.

Cooler temperatures and rainy spells are now likely, forecasters said, though some areas will still have sunshine.

The South East will still see bright spells today, though the day will start off with rain. There could be heavier rain in the north west by evening, becoming more widespread on Thursday.

Although the unusually high temperatures were already gone by yesterday, there was still plenty to think about regarding the skies, with a display of meteors backlit by the Northern Lights expected overnight.

The Perseids peak in mid-August, and clear, dark skies on Monday and Tuesday gave a good chance of spotting them.

Looking at the weather tomorrow, the north west of Scotland in particular could see some high rainfall totals, especially on high ground.

Southern and eastern parts of England will remain largely dry and warm, but it could be a particularly windy day for August quite widely.

After this, a mostly dry and clear weekend is expected, but temperatures are not likely to be as high as they were earlier in the week.

A yellow heat health alert for the East and West Midlands, East of England, South East, South West, North West and London, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), will remain in force until 9am on Wednesday.

The temperature reached 34.8C in Cambridge on Monday, marking 2024’s hottest day yet, after the previous record of 31.9C in central London on July 19.

Liam Eslick, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘Temperatures on Wednesday will probably not be as warm as what we’ve had today, probably seeing maximums of around 24°C or 25°C towards the South East.

‘There will be sunshine towards the western half of the UK on Wednesday, so it will still feel rather pleasant, getting up towards those low 20s.

‘Into Thursday we do have a second plume of rain moving in towards the north west of Scotland which can bring some pretty strong winds and pretty heavy rain.

‘It’s not anything to be concerned about for now, it’s just a watchpoint.

‘The South East will probably be the driest part of the country but those temperatures will slowly start to come down towards what we would expect for mid-August, around 22°C or 23°C.’

Mr Eslick said there was good news for those with weekend plans, as sunny weather is likely to return.

‘It will be a mostly dry picture for many people as we go in towards the weekend, most places will see a pretty dry picture and will start to see some sunnier spells,’ he said.

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