Have you been feeling the heat in Suffolk and north Essex? Experts are warning the warm spell is far from over – with weeks of dry weather still to come.
Weather forecasters are now prepared to say that the long heatwave of 2018 is set to rival the legendary summer of 1976 – with conditions set to stay dry, hot and sunny for at least the next four weeks.
East Anglia-based Weatherquest’s Dan Holley tweeted: “In general there is little change to the pattern for the next 4 weeks – like yesterday (Friday), there may be brief periods with some showers or thunderstorms in places, but much of the time it will stay very warm or hot with a lot of dry weather continuing.”
That would mean the heatwave continuing throughout most, if not all, the school summer holidays.
Phil Garner, another forecaster for Weatherquest, said tomorrow is likely to be the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures creeping past this year’s record of 30.8C, set on July 16.
While temperatures today are slightly cooler, with highs around the 28C mark, the mercury will soar to 31C on Monday – and the warm spell won’t end there.
Mr Garner said: “Monday is not the only day that could happen. Wednesday or Thursday could also see temperatures of 31C or more.”
He added that the highest temperatures will be predominantly inland, while things will feel a little fresher towards the coast.
The mercury will dip slightly to 28C on Tuesday, before picking up again for the rest of week – with temperatures likely to be in excess of 31C from Wednesday to Friday.
While the sun continues to beat down on the region, Mr Garner said the next time we are likely to see any significant rainfall with be Saturday, July 28.
He added that it has been a “quite remarkable” summer compared to recent years, with conditions especially dry.
With air from the continent continuing to make its way to the UK, Suffolk and north Essex are unlikely to see a break in the weather anytime soon.
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