Is there another heatwave on the way?
Do you remember when the UK weather turned hot for a few days at the end of June?
That already seems a distant memory in a summer which has otherwise failed to deliver any prolonged period of warmth or, dare we say it, actual summer weather.
We were all given a small taste of clear blue skies and glorious sunshine – and perhaps some of you are yearning for more (unless you prefer the cold, of course).
The UK enjoyed its hottest day of the year on June 26, with highs of 30.5°C recorded in Wisley in Surrey, according to the Met Office, while London baked in the heat.
Our mini-heatwave was very short-lived, however, and the weather has since returned to more autumn-like conditions, with it being generally gloomy, windy on the coast and, at times, even a tad chilly.
And that’s not to mention the grim conditions tennis fans have been forced to endure at Wimbledon this week, with more umbrellas on show than sunglasses.
It begs the question then, was that it? Is summer over? Or will that mysterious bright ball in the sky show its face again?
Let’s take a look at when we can expect the weather to get better, if at all.
The first thing the Met Office will tell you is that predicting the weather more than a few days in advance is somewhat of a lottery due to the ‘chaotic nature of the atmosphere’.
Even with that caveat, things are still looking bang average for the month of July.
There were some rumours of another mini-heatwave set to bring 27°C highs in mid-July, but a quick glance ahead will tell you that’s pretty unlikely.
The Met Office’s long range forecast from July 8-17 says: ‘The unsettled and changeable theme is expected to continue through the majority of this period.
‘Cloud and rain-bearing systems will cross the UK from the west or south-west at times, accompanied by periods of stronger winds.’
Forecasters have said it’s likely we will see some ‘drier interludes’ and that the best of the more settled weather will be in the east of the country.
‘Temperatures are expected to rise back to the July norm from the cool beginning to the week (July 8) with the potential for wafts of warm continental air to affect the south east at times,’ the Met Office said.
‘Into the second week, there are tentative signs that conditions could gradually become a bit more settled, though temperatures are likely to remain around average overall.’
Average temperatures in July generally range anywhere from lows of 13°C up to highs of 23°C in the UK.
So while it may be pleasant at times, with temperatures sometimes hitting the low 20s in London and the south-east, perhaps you’ll have to put off the family beach day out for at least a few weeks.
Looking further ahead to the Met Office’s long range forecast from July 16 until the end of the month, any small glimmer of hope there was for consistent warm weather has effectively been quashed.
‘There has been an emerging trend towards more settled and possibly warmer weather in the run up to this period,’ it said.
‘This may well continue through to the start of this period with drier conditions a little more likely than normal.
‘However, as we go through the rest of the month, the latest information suggests that a return to cooler and more unsettled weather is now slightly favoured.’
So that is that, then. Well, for now anyway.
To answer the question in short, the weather isn’t due to get that much better any time soon.
July is set to be a very mixed bag and we will have to wait until nearer the time to see if August can offer up anything different.
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