The Catch-up: Hottest ever June weather could be on the cards
What happened?
This weekend could see some of the hottest June temperatures ever, forecasters said today. Hot air moving in from continental Europe will bring with it drier, sunnier and warmer conditions, and by Saturday parts of London could get as hot as 35C. The June record is 35.6C, which was set in Southampton in 1978. Peak daily temperatures across much of England and Wales are predicted to be well above 20C all week. Rain and thunderstorms are predicted early in the week, with severe Met Office weather warnings for rain and thunderstorms covering large parts of the UK.
Why is it so hot?
Hot winds from the Sahara Desert are causing a heatwave across Europe. Authorities in Paris have issued an orange alert for intense heat, the second-highest level on its scale, as very hot temperatures are expected across continental Europe this week. Similar heat is also expected in Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. In Germany, temperatures above 40C are possible in some places on Wednesday, topping the country’s previous June record of 38.2C (nearly 100.8F) set in Frankfurt in 1947.
Four of the 10 warmest Junes on record have occurred within the past two decades. The years 2003, 2006, 2017 and 2018 are all in the top 10, according to Met Office data.
Read more:
35C weather predicted for Glastonbury Festival (Evening Standard)
'Remarkably intense' temperatures to sweep Europe (Sky News)
Highs of 35C possible this weekend - and records could be broken (Sky News)
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