IMPORTANT : ARCHIVED CONTENT

Wednesday starts dry across most of the UK but in the far north west there is some rain. The rest of the day brings sunny periods but it will be cloudier at times. In the far north west patchy outbreaks of rain continue.

The north west remains cooler but generally it will be a warm in the north and hot in the south. Temperatures range from 24C (75F) in eastern Scotland to 33C (91F) in the south east and East Anglia. See the rain and lightning radar for the latest view.

Meteo France Arpege, forecast cloud cover, 16:00 BST Wed 25th July

Forecast short cuts

The month ahead - July

Tonight rain in the north west fades away and elsewhere it stays dry. The south will be very warm and humid with temperatures not falling below 20C (68F) in urban areas.

Tomorrow there will be a lot of hot sunshine but thundery showers could break out in eastern England. In Northern Ireland cloud builds and during the afternoon heavy outbreaks of rain push in from the west. It will be a very hot day and in the south east and East Anglia temperatures could reach 35C (95F) making it the hottest day of the year so far.

Meteo France Arpege, forecast temperatures, 16:00 BST Thu 26th July

Change by the weekend

During the rest of the week deeper areas of low pressure in the Atlantic push eastwards towards the UK. Computer model runs in the last 24 hours have generally shown them having more influence and there is the possibility of severe weather in places. However, forecast details are uncertain.

On Friday a weather front slowly pushes eastwards and brings fragmenting outbreaks of rain with cooler air returning behind it. Ahead of it thunderstorms break out and there is a likelihood of torrential downpours which could lead to flash flooding and difficult driving conditions. In East Anglia and to the south east of London even hotter air from the south will be feeding in and temperatures may nudge 36C (97F) if the storms and cloud cover hold back for long enough.

By Saturday the warmest air should have been shunted eastwards into the near continent. Outbreaks of rain are likely in the north west but much of the country should have a lot of fine weather with temperatures in the south peaking at close to 27C (81F).  

On Sunday rain could become more widespread in northern and western areas. Central and eastern England probably have a mostly dry and bright day.

GFS, forecast rain and pressure, 16:00 BST Sun 29th July

Heat returning next week?

Monday and Tuesday could be quite mixed, particularly in the north and west. The south has a fair amount of fine weather and during the course of the week more settled conditions are likely to spread northwards at times. Temperatures rise and there is possibility of it becoming very hot. 

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 lot of hot weather but in the north a more changeable outlook is favoured. During the first week of August there is a low to moderate chance of extreme heat in the south. View latest GEFS.