The driest spring in nearly 70 years continues
15:26, 24 May 2025Updated 15:29, 24 May 2025
The map shows portions of the country from the southeast of England to North Yorkshire being affected by the intense heat(Image: Netweather.tv)
UK temperatures are forecasted to soar to a remarkable 27C, with red weather maps indicating a ‘mini-heatwave’ as 45 counties are expected to reach at least 23C in the coming days.
This comes as the Environment Agency reports that the country has seen the driest start to spring in nearly 70 years, leading to wildlife in country parks scrambling for water and farmers grappling with parched fields.
The maps anticipate a surge of blistering heat towards the end of May and beginning of June, peaking at 27C in the southeast of England.
However, regions as far north as North Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire could witness temperatures rising to at least 23C, along with 43 other counties across England and Wales, reports the Mirror.
Among the areas predicted to be sweltering are London and the southeast of England, with dark red sections of maps forecasting soaring temperatures of 27C on May 31.
The same temperature is anticipated to extend north through Nottinghamshire to West Yorkshire, impacting York and Harrogate in North Yorkshire as well.
A brief respite from the heat is forecasted on June 1, though the capital will remain at 27C at the peak of the day, signalling that commuters in the capital should brace themselves for the intense heat.
While the Met Office hasn’t provided specific temperature predictions, it was announced on Wednesday that a new £1.2 billion supercomputer, capable of more precise weather forecasts, is set to be operational soon.
This cutting-edge machine is expected to perform quadrillions of calculations every second.
Brits can be expect more hot weather in the coming weeks, as seen here in Brighton(Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Charles Ewen, Chief Information Officer for the Met Office, commented: “People ask how a bigger computer improves the weather forecast.
“One big thing this new computer will allow us to do in the near future is to be able to produce 14-day forecasts with a similar kind of accuracy than we can today for seven, eight, nine days.”
According to the Met Office’s long-range forecast for May 25 to June 3, humid conditions are anticipated across the period, though those in the west of the British Isles might experience wetter weather.
The forecast reads: “A much more unsettled period than of late with the whole of the UK likely to see showers or some longer spells of rain, but also some drier and brighter interludes. For Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday it’s likely a story of sunshine and showers.
“The showers will be heavier and more frequent in the west where it may also be windy, especially across the northwest. The east, especially the southeast may well see a good deal of dry weather.
“The rest of the week then sees further frontal systems run into the UK, bringing more widespread rain at times, but again some drier spells in-between these. Temperatures will probably be close to average, perhaps slightly above at times, but will feel fairly cool in the often strong winds.”