UK weather: Britain set for blustery weekend before Met Office predicts return of hot conditions

Some parts of the UK could see temperatures soaring above 26C this weekend, according to the Met Office, though conditions will remain mixed with showers for many.

The rain on Saturday will be most frequent and heaviest in the northwest, with conditions potentially thundery at times, and more scattered showers seen in the southeast.

But the longer-term forecast looks brighter, with a sustained period of slightly hotter weather predicted for around five days from 19 August, according to the BBC.

This weekend parts of the country including London, Birmingham and Sheffield are largely expected to see sunny intervals changing to light rain, providing an opportunity to Britons to ditch the umbrella.

The rain is expected to ease inland at night, leading to clear spells, but west coast counties are likely to see some continuing overnight showers. Breezy weather will help in preventing minimums from seeing a sharp drop.

Sunday will see more showers in northwestern areas, which will be heaviest across Scotland. The region is predicted to see hail and thunder as part of the UK’s worst conditions across the weekend, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued a flood alert for Argyll and Bute which is active from Saturday morning.

Britons in Weybourne, Norfolk can expect to see the highest maximum temperature of 26.5C on Saturday, while Katesbridge in Northern Ireland will see the minimum temperature of 11.7C.

London at 18C will see a bright Saturday morning with scattered showers, with many southeastern areas remaining dry. By evening, it is expected to see cloudy and sunny spells followed by clear spells overnight. Showers will become lighter and isolated at night, with most places becoming dry, with the mercury dipping to 14C.

Belfast is likely to remain unsettled with showers today as it sees variable amounts of cloud with sunny periods. Showers will become frequent and occasionally heavy this afternoon. But it will be quite warm, especially across the east of Northern Ireland.

But by midnight, the showers will die out and rest of the night will largely remain dry.

Cardiff will also see some sunny spells and scattered showers with these turning to heavy and thundery at times, mainly further north and merging together to five longer spells of rains, as it records a maximum of 21C.

The blustery weekend comes after temperatures hit more than 28C on Thursday in Warwickshire, the first time this had happened since 8 July as the UK sat under a sustained low pressure system kept in place by the Gulf Stream.

And while the arrival this weekend of a new low pressure system means the next week is expected to be largely mixed, the long-range forecast shows the possibility of hotter temperatures returning by the end of next week.

The Met Office said temperatures are likely to “gradually increase through the week, with a chance of it becoming very warm or even hot, and likely humid in the south by the weekend”,