Showers sweep UK as Europe is gripped by life-threatening heatwave
So much for the great British summer! Showers sweep UK as temperatures struggle to climb above 23C – while Europe is gripped by life-threatening searing heatwave
- ‘Nuisance’ rain outbreaks will continue throughout the week, Met Office warns
Showers will sweep across Britain this week as the mercury struggles to climb above 23C while Europe battles a heatwave gripped by life-threatening temperatures.
The heavy winds that ripped across many parts of the UK over the weekend are expected to fade today but the Met Office warns that ‘nuisance’ outbreaks of rain will continue throughout the week.
Tomorrow will see a heavy band of rain cross central and northern parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
But tinder-dry conditions in Europe mean Andalusia, Spain could reach 44C (111.2F) today as the Cerberus heatwave gives way to another, Charon. Tomorrow the Italian island of Sardinia could challenge the European record high of 48.8C (119.8F) posted in Sicily, Italy in August 2021.
Experts have attributed the high temperatures to a static high-pressure system, called an anti-cyclone, which has trapped hot air blowing over from Africa. The UK has avoided the searing heat due to the position of the jet stream, resulting in cooler temperatures and plenty of rain.
LONDON: Showers will sweep across Britain this week as the mercury struggles to climb above 23C. Spectators sat with their umbrellas and rain coats yesterday as rain fell on the 2023 Wimbledon Championships in London
MADRID: But tinder-dry conditions in Europe mean parts of Spain could reach 44C (111.2F) today. Revellers in Madrid yesterday shot water guns during the annual Naval Battle water fight which this year happened to coincide with a heatwave
SICILY: Italians have been warned to prepare for ‘the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time’. A cyclist was seen pouring water over his head as he road along the beach side promenade in Messina, on the island of Sicily, yesterday
Britons will be met with a mixture of sunshine and showers throughout the day today. Some areas may see heavy rains that pose the risk of an isolated thunderstorm.
Forecasters say it will be a breezy day, especially around showers, but the winds will be lighter than they were over the weekend so it should feel slightly warmer.
Heavy winds hampered efforts by firefighters to put out a blaze at the Royal Albion Hotel in Brighton, East Sussex yesterday.
A number of events were also cancelled around the country due to the winds, including the first day of the Goodwood Festival of Speed – which was pulled for the first time in its 30-year history.
Today will bring a dry and bright end to the evening for most Britons, though a few showers will remain over northern Scotland.
As the night progresses, it will remain clear for most, though cloud and rain will push into Wales, Northern Ireland, and the south-west through the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Forecasters say cloud and rain will spread northeastwards tomorrow, turning heavy in parts of the UK. Showers will continue through the afternoon for most, remaining heavy for northern England, though likely staying dry to the south and east.
Meteorologist Simon Partridge said: ‘The general gist is it will become a little more settled through the week but we are not going to see weather as wet and windy as over the weekend, but at the same time there will not be any particular dry or settled or warm weather either, so things are carrying on for July as they have for the past couple of weeks.
LONDON: Britons will be met with a mixture of sunshine and showers throughout the day today. Some areas may see heavy rains that pose the risk of an isolated thunderstorm. Wimbledon spectators were forced to shelter themselves from the rain yesterday
LONDON: Forecasters say today will be a breezy day, especially around showers, but the winds will be lighter than they were over the weekend so it should feel slightly warmer. Chess players sat outside yesterday as they competed in the Chess Fest at Trafalgar Square, London
LONDON: Forecasters say cloud and rain will spread northeastwards tomorrow, turning heavy in parts of the UK. Spectators sheltered themselves from the rain during the Wimbledon tennis tournament yesterday
‘As we go through Monday, it will be another day of sunshine and showers. The good news is that winds will be lighter than over the weekend as that low pressure moves a bit further away and also the showers will be fewer and farther between but still the risk of a thundery shower across eastern parts through the afternoon.
‘In terms of temperatures through the week, they are bizarrely similar, they are around average for the time of year, many places in high teens and the further south and east you are, you are looking at low 20s with 22C or 23C.
‘The day with the most significant weather is Tuesday, we have an area of low pressure that moves across the UK which will bring some quite heavy rain at times, particularly across central and northern parts of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with north and south of that a reasonably dry day.’
Looking ahead, the Met Office said the pattern of changeable weather was expected to continue.
Wednesday is expected to start off mostly cloudy with some bright spells around and the odd scattered shower. The afternoon will be mostly bright, with a few showers still lingering.
Thursday will paint a similar picture – a bright day for many, with some scattered showers, though these will be mostly light.
VALENCIA: Temperatures across the world are forecast to hit record highs this week as a combination of weather patterns sparks warnings of life-threatening heat. Beachgoers in Valencia, Spain yesterday tried to beat the heat
SICILY: People cooled off at a water fountain in Messina, on the island of Sicily, yesterday during the heatwave that has plagued Europe
MADRID: Little reprieve is forecast for Spain, where meteorologists warned of a new heatwave today through Wednesday. Revellers were seen cheering yesterday as people through water from above buildings during the annual water fight
BOLOGNA: Predictions of historic highs in the coming days led the health ministry to sound a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence. A woman was seen refreshing herself inside the Neptune fountain in the city centre of Bologna yesterday
Mr Partridge: ‘It’s fairly disappointing for the middle of July, nothing particularly warm or sunny.
‘At the moment, the main signal on our long-range models is there is a signal for things turning drier and warmer but not until mid-August.
‘The weather pattern is blocked and not changing which is part of the reason why things got so warm in southern Europe, because that high pressure is just sitting there, keeping that warmth growing, but unfortunately it is keeping us in this more changeable airstream, so nothing too wonderful for the next couple of weeks.’
Meanwhile, Italians were warned to prepare for ‘the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time’.
Predictions of historic highs in the coming days led the health ministry to sound a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence.
Temperatures are likely to hit 40C in Rome today and 42C-43C tomorrow, smashing the record of 40.5C set in August 2007.
In the Vatican yesterday, 15,000 people braved sweltering temperatures to hear Pope Francis lead prayers, using parasols and fans to keep cool.
TIJAREFE: Crews yesterday worked to extinguish the forest fire in La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain that forced some 4,200 people to evacuate
TIJAREFE: A view of a burnt area during the forest fire in La Palma on Saturday
TIJAREFE: A fire helicopter makes a water discharge in the highs of the town of Tijarafe yesterday during the forest fire that has ripped across La Palma, Canary Islands, Spain
TIJAREFE: On La Palma island, temperatures dropped Saturday which helped crews battle a blaze which burned 5,000 hectares this weekend. Firefighters are pictured working to extinguish the inferno yesterday
But in their black robes, priests like Francois Mbemba said they were ‘sweating like hell’. The 29-year-old said it felt hotter in St Peter’s Square than in his Democratic Republic of Congo diocese.
The Acropolis in Athens, one of Greece’s top tourist attractions, was closed for a third day running yesterday during the hottest hours of the day.
In Romania, temperatures are expected to reach 39C today across most of the country.
Little reprieve is forecast for Spain, where meteorologists warned of a new heatwave today through Wednesday taking temperatures above 40C in the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region.
On La Palma island, temperatures dropped Saturday, helping firefighters battle a blaze which burned 5,000 hectares this weekend forcing the evacuation of 4,000 people.
Source: Read Full Article