UK weather today: Sunday scorcher forecast as Britain will be hotter than sunny Crete

Daily Mirror

27-04-2025

New weather maps from Ventusky show huge swathes of the UK basking in temperatures reaching the high teens today ahead of a mini-heatwave next week, which could see the mercury hit 27C
Brits are in for a scorcher today as the country is set to see temperatures hotter than Crete. After a mixed week of sunshine and rainy conditions due to a low pressure system, Sunday is forecast to usher in next week's mini-heatwave when the mercury is predicted to rise to highs of 27C and above from Tuesday. It comes as a high pressure system begins to dominate the British Isles.
A weather graphic from Ventusky shows the majority of the UK covered with an orange glow, representing temperatures teetering around the 20C mark. The warm temperatures will reach as high as Newcastle in the northeast and Southampton in the south, with the majority of England enjoying the balmy conditions at 4pm tomorrow. Meanwhile, on the Greek island of Crete - which is known for its year-round warmth - average temperatures are expected to hit 19C.
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But Sunday will be cool considering what's on the way for the rest of the week. The warmest areas on Tuesday will be in the north and north east, where highs of 24C are predicted. On Wednesday, the north will continue to be hot as the south and south east begin to heat up. By Thursday, a much wider area of the country will see highs in the mid 20s, with the south being the hottest, according to new weather maps from WXCharts.
On Friday, a map shows the mercury surging to 27C in London and the southeast around midday. As the hours roll on, the hottest area will have shot up the country with the northwest of England and the Welsh borders hitting 27C. The predictions have been echoed by the Met Office, which says temperatures of 27C will appear "quite widely", calling out London, Berkshire, Hampshire, Kent and East Anglia as the hottest locations.
BBC weather forecaster Elizabeth Rizzini explained: "There is another warm spell on the way, temperatures will be building to well above the seasonal average. Why? Well because we are drawing in a southerly wind and that warmer air moving in from the near continent and it is going to be widespread so all four national will see temperatures in the low 20Cs at least, maybe the mid 20Cs for some, maybe 27C on Wednesday for southeast England. Well above the seasonal average which is just 12C to 15C.'
Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesperson, said: 'This would always have been a naturally warm spell. However, with the footprint of climate change, you can expect it to add a degree or so to the values that we would have expected.
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'So, it's likely that the temperatures for this event will be slightly higher. At the moment, it looks as though we're probably not going to see heatwave conditions met.'
According to the Met Office, the definition of a heatwave is three consecutive days of temperatures exceeding the 'heatwave threshold', which varies across the country.
The threshold is 25C for most of the UK, with slightly higher numbers for the south and east, and rising to 28C in London. Mr Madge said any chance of a heatwave depends on the progress of a cold front which is expected to move south.
'Now, as that front moves south, it will be pulling in cooler air behind it. Not cold air, but cooler air,' he said. 'That will clip temperatures. So, there's a lot of emphasis on when this cold front will start to move and how much progress it will make during Thursday.'
Before that dry and sunny conditions are expected for the thousands taking part in the TCS London Marathon on Sunday, with highs of 22C forecast for the capital.