How long will the heatwave last?

26 June 2024, 10:25

By Alice Dear

How long will the UK's June heatwave last, does it meet heatwave criteria and will it still be sunny this weekend?

Summer has finally arrived in the UK this week, with a heatwave bringing temperatures of up to 30C – but it appears the hot weather and sunshine may be short lived.

This week, from 24th June until 27th June, a yellow heat health alert has been put in place, which means that temperatures are going to be so high they could pose a risk to those who are particularly vulnerable.

With the hot weather expected this week, many people have been left questioning whether it will last until the weekend and more specifically when the heatwave will end.

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Here's everything you need to know about this week's heatwave.

How long will the heatwave last?

The June heatwave is expected to last until Thursday evening, with temperatures cooling and the health alerts ending.

The alert from the UK Health Security Agency will remain in place in eight regions this week until 5:00pm on Thursday when the temperatures are expected to drop.

According to the Met Office, from Friday 28th June, fresher conditions will reach the UK will a westerly wind from the Atlantic, with changeable weather expected as we say goodbye to June and move into July.

They add that the hotter and humid weather that the South of England will experience is likely to have been pushed away at this time.

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While it is possible the heatwave conditions will linger for sometime in the South, they add that the changes could cause widespread thunderstorms.

Is the June heatwave actually a heatwave?

The Met Office definition of a heatwave is when "a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting" or "exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold".

At the moment, the hot weather rolling across the UK this week has not been declared an official heatwave, however, there are possibilities that some areas will reach this criteria.