UK weather: Britons to bask in 22C sun over weekend but Met Office says thunder on way

Britons are set to bask in more sunshine this weekend, before temperatures rise again next week with a possible record-high for the year so far.

Dry and sunny weather is continuing on Saturday and Sunday with highs of 22C in London and Cardiff for the last days of the half-term holiday.

Areas in the east of the UK will be more likely to see cloudier weather with lower temperatures in the mid-teens, the Met Office said.

Meteorologist Stephen Dixon said: “There will be plenty of dry, fine and sunny weather through the weekend in the UK with high pressure still in charge, seeing some warmer temperatures, possibly seeing low-20s especially in the west. A good weekend for the vast majority of the UK.

“Areas further east have been seeing more prolonged cloud, generally in the mid or low teens and that’s going to continue for the eastern areas.”

However, going into the rest of the month, the Met Office has warned that sunny spells could be disrupted by some thunder and rain.

The Met Office’s forecast from Tuesday for the rest of June says: “In general, the UK is likely to see a continuation of the recent dry weather for much of this period. Eastern and northern areas are likely to see more cloud than the west, especially in coastal areas exposed to onshore winds.

“There is a chance of isolated showers, mostly over high ground, in the early part of the period, with a small, but increasing, risk of rain or showers, perhaps thundery, over parts of southern and south-eastern England and Wales as the period progresses.”

On temperatures moving into next weekend, Mr Dixon said that it is “not beyond the realms of possibility that it could top the hottest day”. The highest temperature in the UK so far this year was 25.1C in Porthmadog on Tuesday.

He added: “As we move towards next weekend there’s a signal for temperatures possibly getting towards the mid-20s. It’s not anything we’d call a heatwave, but there’s some signals for later next week and into next weekend for higher temperatures, particularly in the south.

“The high pressure will be in place for the foreseeable future. There’s a chance of some lighter showers for parts of Northern Ireland and perhaps Scotland for Tuesday and Wednesday, they will be very isolated.

“As we move into next weekend, although the temperature is looking to increase in the south, that does increase the chance of some isolated showers popping up. It is western areas that are looking likely to have the longer sunny periods, parts of Wales as well as the south-west of England, but for the vast majority it will be feeling very pleasant.

“It will be slightly warmer than average but not beyond what we’d normally see.”