Temperatures are expected to rise slightly in Southampton over the weekend, which will see the city be as hot as Barcelona according to the Met Office.
Currently, the forecaster is predicting Southampton will peak at 20C on Saturday (May 20) and 19C on Sunday (May 21) which will best Barcelona's peaks of 19C and 17C on the same days.
The UK as a whole is set to bask in temperatures slightly higher than usual this weekend after a fairly cool spring.
The Met Office's forecast for the UK as a whole on Sunday reads: "On Sunday, cloud and intermittent rain over Scotland and Northern Ireland may spread into some parts of northwest England and maybe Wales later.
🌤️ The fine weather is set to continue for many this weekend as the Azores high ridges across the UK
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 18, 2023
Frontal systems may bring showers at times to Scotland and Northern Ireland, with the sunniest and warmest conditions in southern areas of the UK 📈 pic.twitter.com/bd2c3LEaRQ
"Otherwise, a fine day for many with warm sunshine, although feeling cooler in the far southeast with a brisk breeze.
"Through next week and the beginning of the following week, the overall settled theme will continue with predominantly fine and dry weather for most."
Southampton forecast breakdown for the weekend
The current Met Office page for Southampton has the forecast for the weekend broken down as follows.
Saturday
- 7 am - 9C, sunny
- 10 am - 14C, sunny
- 1 pm - 19C, sunny
- 3 pm - 20C, cloudy (peak for the day)
- 4 pm - 19C, sunny intervals
- 7 pm - 18C, sunny intervals
- 10 pm - 15C, clear night
Sunday
- 7 am - 9C, sunny
- 10 am - 14C, sunny
- 1 pm - 18C, sunny intervals
- 4 pm - 19C, cloudy
- 7 pm - 18C, sunny
- 10 pm - 15C, partly cloudy
Temperatures in Southampton are predicted to stay consistently warm over the following week also, with it being around 19-20C at its best.
☀️ With only a month to go until the summer solstice, the sun is now nearing its strongest of the year
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 18, 2023
⚠️ UV levels are now widely high when the sun is out, and with moderate levels even when it's cloudy, remember to protect your skin if you're outside pic.twitter.com/rQXBC491qs
Met Office plays down rumours of 'African plumes'
A forecast from Exacta Weather had said temperatures could regularly rise into the 30s this summer as hot air masses swept up from Africa, but the Met Office has said this is unlikely.
Honor Criswick, a Met Office meteorologist, said the event would be “unprecedented, but not impossible.”
Speaking to The Independent, she said: “We had a similar set-up last summer, though there were additional factors at play, with a high to the east of the UK bringing hot air up from the south/southeast.”
She added that the rising temperatures were “consistent with our warming climate”, saying: “Outlook forecasts are for the average conditions over the UK as a whole, for the period as a whole, so we can expect regional variations.
“So far for May, there is a higher than normal chance of warmer temperatures, however near average or cool conditions remain possible. Looking ahead into June and July, the chance of it being hot is higher than normal however near average temperatures remains the most likely outcome.
“There is also a greater than normal chance of impacts from hot weather such as heatwaves."
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