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Met Office says UK heatwave is ‘likely’ this week with highs of 30°C expected

Here it comes.

Emily Sergeant - 17th June 2025

Much of the UK will be in heatwave conditions by the coming weekend, according to the latest Met Office forecast.

It’s been a real mixed bag of weather since June arrived, it’s safe to say, with the continuous and unseasonably warm and dry temperatures of April and May finally being broken with spells of heavy downpours and thunderstorms, but now it’s official… a heatwave is ‘likely’ on its way.

The Met Office is predicting heat will build throughout this week, and by the time the weekend has arrived, some parts of the UK will probably be in heatwave conditions.

According to forecasts, the highest temperatures values in the UK tomorrow (Wednesday 17 June) are expected to be around 27ºC, but then on Thursday this will rise to 29ºC, and by Saturday, it’s expected to increase again in more locations until heatwave values are exceeded.

High pressure means for many it will be a dry week with temperatures rising to heatwave level in some areas by the weekend☀️

Find out more with Alex Burkill👇 pic.twitter.com/dQ93NUvOH5
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 16, 2025

It’s thought that the highest temperatures in some parts of the country could reach 30ºC on Saturday, potentially even earlier.

So, what exactly is considered to be a heatwave? Well, heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.

Across much of the north and west of the UK this threshold is 25ºC, but across Greater London and the Home Counties, the threshold is higher, at 28ºC.

“The rising temperatures this week are a combination of several factors,” commented Tony Wisson, who is a Deputy Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office.

It's heating up this week 🌡️

Temperatures will be on an upwards trajectory towards 30°C for some pic.twitter.com/uUI5DbAjVm
— Met Office (@metoffice) June 16, 2025

“Over the next few days, settled weather and warm sunshine will allow temperatures to rise day on day. Temperatures will then rise further towards the end of the week as winds turn more southerly and even warmer air over continental Europe will be drawn across the UK.

“We could very well see several places exceeding 30ºC, which will be the highest temperatures of the year so far.”

Tony also confirmed that by the beginning of the weekend “we could very well be meeting heatwave thresholds in places”.

When it comes to how long this’ll all last, that’s a little more up in the air, as while forecasters know that high pressure is expected to move away from the UK into early next week, which will result in temperatures falling, there is uncertainty, however, in how quickly this happens.

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