IMPORTANT : ARCHIVED CONTENT

Sunday starts mostly dry across the UK but there is a lot of cloud cover. The rest of the day brings a good deal of dry weather, and sunny spells develop with the best of them in southern and central regions. In the far north west thicker cloud produces rain at times.

Maximum temperatures range from 17C (63F) in far north west to close to 30C (86F) near the south coast. See the rain and lightning radar for the latest view.

Meteo France Arpege, forecast cloud cover, 16:00 BST Sun 22nd July

Forecast short cuts

The month ahead - July

Tonight patchy outbreaks of rain could affect Northern Ireland, western Scotland and parts of northern England. Southern and central regions stay dry.

Tomorrow is expected to be dry, sunny and hot in the southern half of the UK. In eastern England temperatures could reach a very humid feeling 33C (91F). In the north showery rain moves eastwards and gradually fades away to leave some warm sunshine.

Meteo France Arpege, forecast temperatures, 16:00 BST Mon 23rd July

Tuesday brings more hot and humid weather to southern and central regions and in the afternoon isolated thunderstorms could break out. In the north a band of cloud and rain gradually pushes southwards and cooler air returns behind it.

Mid week and beyond

Wednesday should be another mostly dry and very warm day with sunny spells. Again there is a risk of thunderstorms but many places miss them. In Northern Ireland outbreaks of rain possibly push in from the west later in the day.

The second half of the week is expected to be mainly dry and very warm or hot in southern and eastern regions. In the north and west it remains more changeable but there be some warm sunny periods too. Recent computer model runs have shown the core of the hot shot from southern Europe pushing northwards just to the east of the UK, but there is still uncertainty about that.

GFS, forecast rain and pressure, 16:00 BST Thu 26th July

In the longer term temperatures it is expected to remain warm or very warm in much of the country.

Register for the TWO community

If you would like to join the TWO community please see how to register for the forum. People with all levels of meteorological knowledge are very welcome to apply. However if you're a meteorology (or related subject) student or recent graduate there may be an opportunity for you to earn some money next summer.

Forecast tools

Check the latest satellite images, computer model charts and rain radar:

1981 - 2010 daily temperature charts

Temperature anomalies

DWD ICON forecast charts

EUMETSAT high resolution satellite images

Rain and precipitation type radar

Meteo France Arpege forecast charts

Global Forecast System (GFS) forecast charts

16 day GEFS ensembles at a glance

Southern counties have a good deal of dry and warm weather, although there is a weak signal for the risk of rain to increase late in the month. In the north a more changeable outlook is favoured. View latest GEFS.