Bank Holiday heatwave set to rival Honolulu

IT MIGHT just be the last of the summer wine this Bank Holiday weekend: not the long-running TV series, which ended in 2010, but rather a final blast of seasonal sunshine and warmth. The low pressure that has brought such unsettled weather on and off throughout this month, and made for damp, disappointing staycations, is to be replaced by high pressure from the south east, with the winds sweeping in what is known in the business as a “tropical continental” air mass over much of the UK.

It has been building up for a few days already, and yesterday was pretty good in most places, but today that touch of Spain and Greece will push the mercury up even higher, with possible peaks tomorrow at 33C (91.4F) to rival the forecast for Honolulu.

Down in the south-east corner today expect 30C (86F) or more, a notch or two down in Birmingham and Manchester at 28C (82F), and a decent 24C (75F) in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The further away you are from the continental pull, the more modest will be its warming effect – so 22C (72F) in Cardiff, 21C (70F) in Plymouth, and patchy cloud and even some rain in the far north of Scotland.

There is some debate about Bank Holiday Monday, caused by fluctuations in the jet stream, but what is certain is that some parts of the country at least will continue to bathe in that sultry continental air. It may even tip the records for this time of year, which currently stand at 31.5C (88.7F). Enjoy, as they say, because what comes afterwards is looking more unsettled. Scotland may even see more rain, having already exceeded its average summer tally with a week of August still to go.