The washout’s over: get set for heatwave Part 2!

YOU may have thought the washout weekend marked the end of our scorching summer. But it seems that was only an interlude – and the heatwave that gripped Britain through June and much of this month is due to return within days.

Temperatures in parts of the South-East and East Anglia could rise as high as 32C (89.6F) by Friday, forecasters say.

It could even hit 33C (91.4F) over the weekend – warmer than Athens, where it is due to be 31C (88F) on Saturday. An area of high pressure is set to build from tomorrow across southern and eastern England, bringing hotter air from continental Europe. The warm weather is likely to extend into northern England, with Manchester potentially reaching 30C (86F) by the weekend.

Alex Burkill of the Meteorological Office said: ‘The warmest temperatures of this forthcoming warm spell are likely at the weekend. There could be a few showers, including thunder breaking out, but most places are due to stay fine.’ Many areas of Britain will experience warm and sunny weather today, although there is a chance of showers in the West. Changeable weather is likely in the North and western areas tomorrow, while temperatures could hit 27C (81F) in the South.

The Met Office predicts ‘plenty of sunshine’ for most regions over the first two weeks of August, with ‘drier and warmer than average conditions’ likely to last until the bank holiday weekend. Forecasters say there could be ‘short unsettled interludes’ with some showers and storms, particularly in the South, but Mr Burkill added: ‘It looks like it’s going to stay very warm through much of August. Temperatures are going to be generally quite a bit above average for the whole month.’

The weekend’s heavy rain has meant this month may end up wetter than July 1976. An average of 1.96in (49.9mm) of rain fell across the UK this month compared to 1.7in (43.3mm) during the July 1976 heatwave, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.