At last, it’s an 80F heatwave

Dig out the T-shirts and shorts... after months of rain, a scorching weekend is on the way

AFTER the seemingly endless rain and grey skies, the country’s hopes for summer this year had been all but dashed.

But forecasters say it is time to dig out the T-shirts, because from tomorrow the downpours are predicted to clear and sunshine is finally on the way.

England and Wales will at last bask in sunny and dry weather all weekend and into next week, they said.

Temperatures will reach 26C (80F) for the start of the school holidays, and bring a welcome boost to UK seaside destinations.

The Met Office said the mercury will peak at 24C (77F) on Sunday and 26C (80F) on Monday without a rain cloud in sight, raising the possibility of a sunny start to the Olympics next Friday.

Tuesday could be warmer still for London and the Olympic Stadium.

It will be welcome news for the country, which has so far seen a dismal 45.5 hours of sunshine this month – a quarter of the 174.3 average, figures revealed yesterday. It is a gloomy contrast to July 1911, when the UK basked in an astonishing 383.9 hours.

Yesterday saw heavy downpours restricted mainly to south east England, with a dry day for many places.

Torrential storms on Wednesday night in East Anglia saw streets in Norwich

‘It’s going to be a lot better’

city centre deluged, and several traffic collisions blamed on the blinding rain.

Up to 20mm (three- quarters of an inch) – a week’s worth of rain – was predicted to hit Kent and Essex last night, but only scattered showers were reported elsewhere.

Today will be cloudy and overcast for many areas, with rain showers possible for most places in the morning and early afternoon but no heavy downpours expected.

But the good news is that from tomorrow, it will be dry and sunny, with the summery spell lasting up until at least Tuesday if not longer, according to forecasters. Dan Williams at the Met Office

■ The lacklustre summer hasn’t just been spoiling our leisure plans – it is also being blamed for an unseasonal surge in coughs and colds.

Over-the-counter cold medicines have seen an uncharacteristic rise in sales for this time of year.

One manufacturer, Care, said sales in its winter wellness category were up 45 per cent last month compared with last year. Cough medicine makers Covonia saw a 65 per cent rise.

While experts say cold weather does not cause colds, they are more common in winter.

London GP Dr Sarah Jarvis said: ‘In the past month I’ve noticed a much larger number of my patients displaying cold symptoms. It is certainly very possible the weather has been a major factor.’

said the now infamous jet stream – the high-altitude belt of wind blamed for the recent bad weather – is on the move and by tomorrow will be back in its normal position for this time of year.

He said: ‘It’s going to be a lot better this weekend, lasting right up until Tuesday, with dry and sunny weather for most of England and Wales and pretty decent temperatures. Scotland and Northern Ireland will see wetter and windier conditions this weekend because of the jet stream moving north to where it should be at this time of year, and taking the weather with it.

‘It’s been moving for the last couple of days but is almost in its normal position.’

However, the long- overdue summer weather is not likely to quite reach the heights it did at the end of May, when the mercury peaked at 28.4C (83.1F) in Cornwall on May 26.

But it does bring to an end the wettest three months on record from April to June. Britain was deluged for weeks, with 3,000 homes and business flooded and people swept to their deaths.

The flood and storm damage in June alone is estimated to have cost insurers £500million, according to the Association of British Insurers.

Already this month, the rainfall has hit 71.8mm (nearly 3in) – above the typical 69.6mm (2¾in) July average.

The warm weather should hold on for long enough to give a fine day next Friday.

After this, forecasters said it is too early to know for sure whether the sun will stay for the Olympics.

When London last hosted the Games, in 1948, the country basked in temperatures as high as 33C (91F).