UK weather forecast: Temperatures to hit sizzling highs of 35C on what could be hottest day of year so far

Temperatures are set to soar to sizzling highs of 35C today on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so far in the UK.

Forecasters predict that parts of the UK will be hotter than popular tourist spots on the continent including Ibiza, Lisbon and Berlin.

The hot weather will be widespread across south eastern areas in Kent and Cambridgeshire, where temperatures will stay around 33-34C.

The mercury will soar to 35C in Greater London, Manchester is expected to peak at 32C and parts of Wales will also reach 30C.

Popular south-coast destinations such as Devon, Cornwall will stay "fresher", with temperatures peaking in the mid 20s, a Met Office forecaster said.

Sunseekers in Brighton will enjoy a pleasant 28C high.

But the good weather is expected to be short-lived and will not extend into the three-day "heatwave territory".

Northern Ireland will be caught by a slow moving weather front on Friday, keeping temperatures at a balmy 22C, that will go on to cool the rest of the UK on Saturday.

The front will result in temperature drops of up to 10C overnight with highs of 26C and 21C in London and Manchester respectively on Saturday.

The UK average temperature for this July is currently on course to be just 14.1C, one degree less than the 1981-2010 long-term average of 15.2C, data from the Met Office showed.

So far this month, the highest maximum temperature recorded was 28.5C on July 17 at Heathrow Airport.

The UK has already surpassed 100 per cent of the average monthly rainfall and only experienced two thirds (66 per cent) of the expected sunshine for an average July, a total of 113.4 hours.

"We've not seen a temperature anywhere above 30 so far or even with a three in it, that is quite unusual for July," a Met spokesman said.

"In terms of shifting the overall weather stats for the month, it's not going to do much to the average."