London weather forecast: Temperatures will soar back up to 30C by Friday as UK heatwave returns after washout weekend

Chloe Chaplain20 August 2018

London and the south-east will be basking in 30C temperatures again by the end of the week after rainy storms brought a brief interlude to a scorching heatwave.

Heavy rainfall and gusty winds have battered the country over the weekend and provided relief from the previously sweltering conditions, which saw temperatures creep into the mid-thirties around London.

But the cooler front is only temporary and forecasters are expecting the warmer weather to return in time for the weekend with the mercury predicted to reach 30C by Friday.

Craig Snell, forecaster at the Met Office, said that the wet weather will linger for a couple of days but, nevertheless, temperatures will still reach a balmy 25C.

Washout: Tourists walk through the rain holding umbrellas outside Buckingham Palace on Sunday
Getty Images

“Today has had fairly grey start with some outbreaks of rain but this will clear up around lunchtime,” he said. “And by the afternoon it could get significantly warmer – likely into the mid-twenties.

UK Heatwave - In pictures

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“Overnight, around 3am, the rain will move in which will mean that we will have a wet commute on Tuesday.

“But this will move down towards Sussex by 10am and, again, the afternoon will be brighter and warmer with temperatures reaching 24 or 25C.

“Wednesday will be another dry day and feeling very pleasant, with highs of 25 or 26C at least in London and on Thursday temperatures will climb to about 27 or 28C,” he said.

By Friday the mercury could creep as high as 30C which could bring the risk of thundery showers, he said, but it will stay nice and warm.

There is expected to be lots of sunshine interspersed with some thundery showers over the weekend, Mr Snell added.

Contrast: two photos taken on Sunday (top) and Wednesday July 25 (below) shows the changing weather conditions on Bournemouth beach in Dorset
PA

Over the weekend, heavy rainfall and gusts of up to 60mph battered parts of Britain during a washout after weeks of hot and dry weather.

Festival goers at nearby Camp Bestival were hit by some of the worst of the wind and rain forcing organisers to pull the plug on the last day of the event on Sunday.

Chilly: Festival goers walk in the wind and rain at Camp Bestival
Getty Images

Organisers of the Saltburn Food Festival in North Yorkshire were also forced to drastically scale back the event due to the bad weather.

"When you have got quite heavy rain that follows a dry spell the water struggles to soak into the ground," said Met Office meteorologist Rachael West.

"It has been very wet and windy - not ideal conditions for camping by any means."

Wales saw the wettest of Sunday's weather with 48.4mm of rain falling in Capel Curig in the north of the country.

The strongest winds were on the Isle of White, which was hit by gusts of around 60mph, while inland areas across the UK saw speeds of about 40mph.

A warning for wind and rain, in place for Wales and the south of England, was lifted on Sunday as the heavy rain and stronger winds pushed further north.

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