Although the UK hasn’t seen the best of the summer weather this year, the first week of September has brought a late heatwave to many parts of the nation.
Today (September 9) has officially seen the highest temperatures of 2023, with 32.7C recorded in Heathrow, the Met Office said.
This has now overtaken the previous record of the year, with 32.6C recorded in Wisley, Surrey on Thursday (September 7).
For those who aren’t a fan of the hot weather or who have had enough of the extreme temperatures, you might be wondering when the September heatwave will end.
It will remain very warm into this evening with some thundery showers across central areas ⛈️
— Met Office (@metoffice) September 9, 2023
Cloudier across northwest Scotland, but dry and sunny elsewhere ☁️☀️
Enjoy your evening, whatever you are doing 🙂 pic.twitter.com/Q1WiEsPQOk
When is the heatwave going to end in the UK?
The Met Office said: “By the early part of next week, a return to westerly weather regime, with a mix of sunshine, showers and some windy conditions is most likely, with temperatures returning towards average for the time of year.”
Met Offices issues additional thunderstorm warnings across the UK this weekend
The news comes as forecasters have issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, spanning across east Wales, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford, and will be in place from 2pm to 9pm today.
The same warning has been issued for Sunday covering Northern Ireland, northern parts of England and Wales, and southern Scotland between 2pm and 11.59pm.
What different Met Office weather warnings mean
It means some people could be in store for some flash flooding, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds, with possible interruptions to road access and public transport if such circumstances were to occur.
Previously, the UK Health Security Agency had issued an amber heat health alert, meaning weather impacts are likely to be felt across the health service, with those aged above 65 or those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular disease at greater risk.
The Met Office adds: “As our climate changes due to human influences, hot spells like this are becoming more frequent and severe.
“By 2070, the chance of exceeding 30°C for two days or more throughout the year increases.
"Projections show that over southern parts of the UK exceeding 30°C for two days or more becomes sixteen times more frequent than it is today.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here