UK weather: Brits to bask in glorious sunshine as temperatures soar to 33C with thousands flocking to the beach
Thousands have already flocked to the beach this weekend to enjoy the warm conditions and catch some rays.
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Beaches across the country were packed with Brits basking in the sun on a perfect summer's day.
Sunseekers in Brighton, Southend and Dorset were out in force to enjoy the weather as the mercury soared.
And hundreds of people basked in the sizzling sunshine at Lyme Regis in Dorset.
Many families were seen enjoying an ice cream and a dip in the cooling water during the summer holidays.
And temperatures could even hit heights of 33C in some parts of the UK on Tuesday.
Yellow heat health alerts, issued by the UK Health Security Agency, are in place for most of England – excluding the north-east and north-west – from Monday to Wednesday.
The Met Office said: "A combination of high pressure and a southerly airflow will see temperatures rise for much of England and Wales in the first half of the week.
"Temperatures reaching in excess of 30°C for some on Monday and likely peaking towards the mid-30s in London on Tuesday.
In London, temperatures are forecast to reach 29C on Monday, rise to 32C on Tuesday and hit 28C on Wednesday.
Highs of 32C are expected on Wednesday while temperatures could reach 31C on Monday.
The Met Office says the official heatwave criteria will be met across many areas, with three consecutive days of temperatures above thresholds that range between 25C and 28C depending on location.
The warm spell marks a sharp turnaround from earlier in the week when Storm Floris brought heavy rain and strong winds to parts of the UK.
What counts as a heatwave?
A heatwave in the UK only comes around when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days of temperatures meeting or exceeding the temperature thresholds for a heatwave.
Across the north and west of the UK this is set at 25C.
In Greater London and the Home Counties, this rises to a whopping 28C.
Forecasters say hot air will be drawn up from the south due to the interaction between high pressure drifting across southern Britain and an area of low pressure.
England and Wales will enjoy the best of the sunshine, although a few scattered thunderstorms are possible.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland and Scotland can expect outbreaks of rain at times, especially on Monday.
After a warm weekend, temperatures will climb steadily from Monday, with much of England and Wales reaching the mid-to-high twenties and some Home Counties locations topping 30C.
With very warm and humid air lingering until Wednesday, the conditions will be very hot in east Wales, the Midlands, and eastern and south-eastern England.
In addition to high daytime temperatures, warm nights are also likely in southeastern parts of the UK early in the week, said the Met Office.
Meteorologists say there is=h even a chance of a tropical night in a few places, which is where temperatures do not drop below 20°C overnight.
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