Blistering UK to beat Rio

Britain will bask in temperatures of 91F... and we’ll be hotter than Brazil all week

IF you thought yesterday’s weather was good, here’s something to have you stocking up on the sun cream.

Britain will experience a heatwave hotter than Rio de Janeiro all this week, weathermen say.

Parts of the South-East and central England are likely to enjoy temperatures up to 91.4F (33C), making it warmer than the Brazilian city.

Forecasters said temperatures will be several degrees above average and there will be wall-towall sunshine for the next few days, with the mercury rarely dipping below the mid-20s Celsius. Wednesday and Thursday are likely to be the hottest days of the year so far, with temperatures expected to nudge 91.4F on Thursday in London. The previous hottest day was April 19, when 84F (29.1C) was recorded in St James’s Park in the capital.

Today will see highs of 84F in the South, with the North just a couple of degrees cooler. The high temperatures and blue skies will continue into the weekend. It will also be dry, with only a small chance of thunderstorms threatening any rain next weekend.

Met Office forecaster Sophie Yeomans said this week was likely to be record breaker.

‘The number to beat is 29.1C, which was recorded in London in April,’ she said. ‘We are likely to better that some time this week, most likely on Wednesday or Thursday. The overnight temperatures, which have been quite cold over the past week, will also be good so it will feel more muggy.’

Forecasters say the jet stream is pushing warmer air up from Europe, creating the sunny, pleasant conditions. Miss Yeomans said that at this time of year the temperatures were usually around 68F (20C) in England and Wales, 64F (18C) in Northern Ireland and 60F (16C) in Scotland.

‘Temperatures will feel considerably warmer than this and we could even see the record broken for the hottest day in Northern Ireland,’ she said. ‘The maximum temperature ever recorded in Northern Ireland is 30.8C but that could go this week.

‘In the South and inland areas by Wednesday temperatures could get up to 31C (87.8F), even 32C (89.6F) to 33C (91.4F) on Thursday.’

The hot spell, however, will not be welcomed by all. Miss Yeomans added: ‘The pollen levels are going to be very high right throughout the week, with grass pollen the main allergen there, so for hay fever sufferers it’s bad news.’