SUMMER IS BACK: Tropical air heading to UK to send temperatures rocketing to 26C NEXT WEEK
SUMMER will finally arrive this week with warm weather forecast to last through much of this month.
A tropical air is set to sent temperatures rocketing up to 26C next week
Despite a brief cooler spell over the next few days thermometers will rocket back into the 80Fs by the weekend.
Forecasters promise sun-starved Britons a long-awaited “return to summer” after the unsettled past few weeks.
The Met Office said a change in wind direction mid-week will bring warm air up from the Azores islands off the coast of Portugal.
It predicts very warm to hot weather into the middle of August as “tropical” air sweeps in from the Atlantic.
There are definitely signs that things are going to turn much warmer by the end of this week
Met Office forecaster Chris Page said after a cooler start to the week things will start to pick up again by Wednesday.
He said: “There are definitely signs that things are going to turn much warmer by the end of this week.
“We start to lose the cool northerly flow towards the middle of the week as warm tropical maritime air is pulled up from the Azores on Thursday and Friday.
“We are looking at a return to the warmer weather with the potential for very warm or even hot weather into the middle of August.
“Through the remainder of the month, current indications show temperatures hovering around normal for the time of year although it could be more unsettled.”
Temperatures are set to hit 26C by next weekend, according to forecasters
The cheery forecast comes after a north-south split saw parts of the country bask in sunshine and blue skies at the weekend while strong winds battered the north.
Thermometers nudged the high 20Cs (81F) in parts of the southeast as Scotland battened down the hatches for unseasonable gales.
A cooler outlook over the next few days will see the mercury dip to around 15C (59F) in the south with the north struggling to get out of single figures.
Forecasters promise sun-starved Britons a long-awaited 'return to summer'
However a dramatic change by the end of the week will see much of the UK enjoying much more usual temperatures for the time of year.
James Madden, forecaster for Exacta Weather, said there is a chance the mercury could top the 30C (86F) mark over the next two weeks.
He said after a slow start to the week many can look forward to “wall-to-wall sunshine” and soaring temperatures.
He said: “A quiet and fresher weather theme is on the cards to start the upcoming week for many parts of the country.
“However towards the weekend will see an area of significant high pressure building in across many parts of the country bringing a return to summer for many.
“Maximum temperatures are likely to hit 30C in parts of the south with many other areas looking forward to temperatures in the mid to high 20's at the very least.”
After a cool start the UK will see a dramatic shift in weather
Rising humidity could make it feel warmer than 30C in parts of the country by next weekend with two weeks of “excellent weather” on the way, he added.
He said: “Rising humidity levels could make it feel even warmer with the wall to wall sunshine likely to develop within this period of warm to hot weather.
“The good news is this also looks like hanging around for quite some time, and we could be looking at a one to two-week spell of excellent summer-like conditions for most and if not all parts of the country within this period.
“Summer is finally about to arrive.”