UK weather MAPPED: UK hotspots to roast this weekend - where will it be hottest?
TEMPERATURES are set to soar this weekend as the Saharan bubble of hot air sweeps across Europe. But where will the hottest spots in Britain be?
BBC weather: European heat to sweep up through Britain
The UK is looking forward to a warm weekend, with predicted highs of 34C potentially making it an 43-year UK heat record. Temperatures across Europe escalated as a result of a bubble of Saharan air making its way across the continent. Several countries have issued alerts for the hot conditions, including Spain, France and Italy - all of which have seen heat-related deaths over the past two days. Now this weekend is expected to be as hot in the UK, but where will be the hottest?
The Met Office predicts there will be very warm or hot conditions for many today and on Saturday.
This hot air allowed temperatures to rise into the high-20s (68F+) in parts of Scotland, Wales and southwest England on Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures predicted to reach at least 30C (80F) in some spots in the southwest on Friday.
Today, early clouds across eastern and central parts cleared throughout the morning leaving a fine, sunny day, although staying misty for some coasts of northeast Scotland.
Most places across the UK will be hotter than on Thursday, starting with high winds at first.
Tonight is due to be dry and warm for most, with misty low cloud affecting western coasts as well as some North Sea coasts.
But, showery rain may affect the Western Isles late in the night.
Saturday is due to be another dry and warm day, with plenty of strong sunshine.
There’s a risk of some afternoon thundery downpours in the northwest, but it will remain dry elsewhere.
It will feel fresher, cloudier and breezier on Sunday and Monday with some showery rain expected in the west and northwest.
But where exactly is the weather due to be hottest?
According to the Met Office on Saturday at 1pm, the weather is supposed to be 30C in Huntington, London, Newbury and Reading.
On Saturday there will be many more areas with hot weather above 30C:
Lincoln
Grantham
Nottingham
Derby
King’s Lynn
Leicester Racecourse
Leicester
Coventry
Birmingham
Worcester
Stratford upon-avon
Gloucester
Bourton on the water
Banbury
Corby
Northampton
Peterborough
Ely
Huntingdon
Cambridge
Milton Keynes
Swindon
Oxford
Ely
Aylesbury
St Albans
London
Rochester
Canterbury
Tenkterden
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Crawley
Guildford
Reading
Newbury
Basingstoke
The warmest temperatures will be in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Banbury, Peterborough, Huntingdon, Oxford and Reading where the temperatures are forecast to reach 32C.
The hottest temperatures are expected to be in London where it is due to reach 33C.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “It’ll be warm with sunny spells across many southwestern and western parts of the UK for the remainder of this week; however an easterly breeze will keep eastern parts of the UK much cooler and, at times, cloudier.
“On Saturday however, the warmth will spread across eastern parts of the UK with temperatures peaking around 33 to 34C (91.4-93.2F).”
"It could also be a hot day on Friday at Worthy Farm for Glastonbury Festival as the Met Office tweeted: “Will it be a record-breaking day at #GlastonburyFestival?
“With plenty of strong #sunshine expected, afternoon temperatures will peak around 30C (80F), getting close to the record set back in 2017 of 31.2C (88.16F)”.