UK heatwave warning as 40C 'Mediterranean furnace' to send mercury rocketing this weekend

Sweltering 40C temperaturesin France and Spain will spread to the UK at the weekend, forecasters have warned.

Fierce heat in the Mediterranean, which has sparked wildfire warnings across Europe, is heading north towards Britain. Parts of England could hit 35C by Monday - making it thewarmest day on record since the long hot summer of 1976.

Nick Finnis, senior forecaster at Netweather said: "Very hot conditions are spreading north-east across Spain and France over the weekend, where temperatures look to reach the high-30s and perhaps 40C to 41C in places.

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"It looks to spread north-east across southern and eastern England on Sunday - with temperatures reaching 30C to 31C in South East England and East Anglia.

"Hotter still on Monday, perhaps reaching 35C, which could challenge the UK June record maximum temperature, before the heat eases again through Tuesday, perhaps with some thundery showers during the breakdown to cooler conditions."

It looks set to beat the hottest day of 2025 so far, which fell on last Saturday's summer solstice when the Met Office recorded a provisional temperature of 33.2C measured in Charlwood, Surrey.

And it appears likely the latest heat blast will outdo the 32.2C notched up in June 2023, recorded on separate days in Coningsby, Lincs, and Chertsey, Surrey, respectively.

The hottest day on record for this month in the UK came in 1976, when 35.6C was set on June 28 in Southampton, Hants.

Oli Claydon, from the Met Office, said it was possible the South East of England "could be looking at a short-lived localised heatwave".

Meanwhile, today (Thurs) the UK faces rain with heavy deluges over higher ground, moving eastwards through the morning, says the Met Office.

It added that drier and brighter weather would move in from the west for the afternoon, with sunny spells for many, making it "feel fresher".

New weather maps from WXCharts, which uses data from Met Desk, shows temperatures creeping up to 30C by 6pm on Monday, June 30. This is likely to only be in London and Kent, though.

But the rest of the capital's surrounding counties, including Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire and Berkshire, will still enjoy temperatures around 28C to 29C. This is in contrast the north of the UK, where Manchester, for example, will be a full 10C cooler at 19C.

While up in Scotland there are projected lows of just 11C at the tip of the mainland in Wick. Conditions are looking much better on Tuesday, July 1 though as the hottest day of 2025 could well be rewritten.

By 6pm, much of the Midlands, including Birmingham, could see mercury levels hit a staggering 35C. While in and around London is forecast to hit around 33C or 34C.

Elsewhere, most of the stretch of land between Manchester and Newcastle are expected to be in the early 30Cs. In Wales, the capital Cardiff is predicted to enjoy 30C with even Wick could hit a potential 21C. Belfast in Northern Ireland could also see a pleasant 20C.