We’re waving goodbye to washout July as the UK is hotting up and heading for a mini-heatwave today with highs of 30°C expected across Greater Manchester.
August is nearly here and so is the warm weather to go along with it.
Yesterday provided a glimpse into the weather we’re in store for, as temperature highs of 30°C were recorded in some parts of the UK, but forecasts indicate this will be exceeded today. The Met Office is even predicting that today could be the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures expected to hit 35°C in some areas of London and South East England.
Highs of 30°C are expected across areas of Greater Manchester.
Andy Page, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “The bulk of England and Wales will have dry, very warm and sunny weather to end the week, with Friday likely to be the hottest day of the year so far for the UK”.
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Today's top temperature in the UK was 30°C, recorded in London 🌡️.
The hot weather will be more widespread tomorrow with some places in eastern and southeastern England now expected to reach 35°C. This will make it the hottest day of the year so far 🌡️ #EnjoySummerSafelypic.twitter.com/3jh2VAeyIJ
As this warm weather today won’t be sticking around for very long though, forecasters are not classing it as a heatwave, prompting many to label it as a mini-heatwave instead.
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The Met Office defines a heatwave as “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity” and the heatwave threshold, which varies depending on location, is reached when daily maximum temperatures are met or exceeded for three consecutive days.
Brent Walker, Deputy Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: “There is quite a change in the weather coming by the end of the week, with increasing sunshine and a day of hot conditions on Friday [but] it won’t persist long enough to become a heatwave as a cold front moves in on Saturday, bringing the temperatures back down to around average for the time of year.”
July 2020 has been colder than average across the whole of the UK, however that is not how it will end. The final day of the month is shaping up to be the hottest day of the year so far 🌡️ ☀️
The Met Office has also confirmed that July has been colder on average this year across the UK.
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Today’s rise in temperatures come after officials at the Met Office have spoken out about a recently published report into the effects and influence of climate change on UK weather, with Mike Kendon – Lead Author of the report for the Met Office – stating that: “The Central England Temperature series shows us that the 21st Century so far has been warmer than the previous three centuries” and Dr Mark McCarthy – Head of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre – adding that: “The climate statistics over time reveal an undeniable warming trend for the UK”.
For more information ahead of this predicted warm weather, visit the Met Office website here.
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The Department of Health and Social Care has today issued advice for keeping safe during warm weather, and Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service has also asked that the public remain vigilant, consider their actions and take care when in the countryside, or on the moors.
England is expected to experience high temperatures over the next few days ☀️
During heatwaves, it is vital to know how to keep cool as it can help save lives.
— Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (@manchesterfire) July 31, 2020
#EnjoySummerSafely
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Two Manchester Basketball players have been named in the SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26
Danny Jones
A pair of Manchester Basketball players have been named in the latest SLB Team of the Season for 2025/26.
The most recent UK Super League Basketball (SLB) campaign is set to wrap up this month, with the playoffs taking place down in the capital, but there are other awards to be handed out before then.
It remains to be seen how ‘The Final Four’ phase will play out at The O2 in London on 17 May, but we can definitely take joy in moments like this.
Announced on Thursday, 7 May, Manchester Basketball confirmed that duo Max Jones and Jordan Johnson have joined the rest of the league’s roster of the best players this term.
As detailed on the club website, “Max has averaged 17.4 points in the SLB in 32 games – he’s been a starter for the franchise and was also named in the ENBL All-Star Five in Germany last month.
“Jordan averaged 14.1 points and 5.1 assists in 30 games in the SLB, had a stellar European campaign and hit 30 pts in just over 27 minutes in the SLB Cup Final.”
Commenting on social media, one fan wrote: “Both JJ and PJ have been so great at the PG spot all year. I feel this is a joint award for them both, but they can only fill one spot for the accolade. If we wanna be a serious club to build upon year on year, JJ also needs to be in an MCR jersey next year.
“We absolutely have the pieces to build around. JJ’s nerve is sooooo cool under pressure. You can just tell they wanna loft a meaningful trophy, and it’s gonna happen if we as a club plan and build the way we need to.”
Plenty of supporters have also stressed the importance of making sure that the board tie down the likes of Jones and other big talents this summer; the rest of the Molten All-League Team of the Season for 2025/26 can be found below.
It’s also worth noting that teammate Tim Adetukasi and women’s team star Irene Oboavwoduo have each been named in the SLB’s British Team of the Year in their respective divisions for 2026.
Writing in a club statement reflecting on a great week of recognition for the resurgent club, General Manager Dominique Allen said: “We are really proud to be a club flying the flag for British players.
Both Tim and Irene have made a real impact on and off the court. We’re really happy for both of them that they are getting some well-deserved recognition.”
Well done to all the MCR stars who are helping get the franchise back on its feet following such a major rebrand across the board.
Here’s looking forward to another promising and productive year for Manchester Basketball.
Akon speaks on his connection to Manchester after run of Co-op Live gigs
Danny Jones
Music veteran Akon has recently discussed his connection to our city following his run of live shows here in Manchester.
In fact, he went so far as to say he feels much more affinity here than he does with ‘The Big Smoke’.
The seasoned Senegalese-American rapper, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian, teamed up with fellow chart-topper Ne-Yo for not just one, not even two, but three whole nights at Co-op Live this May as part of their co-headline tour across the UK and Ireland.
Chatting with Simone Riley on BBC Radio Manchester before the third and final gig of the trio, Akon admitted that there’s “something about Manchester” that he loves way more than London.
As you can see, while he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly is about it in the North compared to the capital, he said simply that “it’s crazy here”, and he loves it.
Same, mate. Same.
Admitting that he feels “more attached to Manchester than London” and labelling the energy from the crowds as “stupid” up here (he meant it in a good way, we promise), Simone couldn’t help but confess her joy over his comments.
He’s not the only global superstar to have recently shouted out their affection for 0161, either, as Billie Eilish also said something similar.
Speaking to the mainline BBC at the premiere of her Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), she said that while the dates lining up were certainly a key factor, there were other reasons why she chose Manchester to film her new movie.
Our Audio North team were also lucky enough to chat with Akon’s touring partner Ne-Yo recently, too, who also had nothing but good things to say about us as a place to play.
As for Akon, the 53-year-old has obviously played here plenty of times over the decades, with last year’s tour being his first return in a decade.
That being said, given how glowingly he’s spoken about us and how popular these joint performances were, we reckon it won’t be that long before he comes back.
Last but not least, we obviously couldn’t resist going along to at least one of the nights for ourselves; listen to what we had to say about the tour in our full review down below.
Emily Sergeant -
31st July 2020 
