- Drab Britain is set to continue with cool and wet weather for the next week
- Meanwhile a ‘heat dome’ in Europe is set to trap warm air across continent
- Two deaths have been reported in Cyprus caused by searing 44C temperatures
By Andrew Levy
Published: 22:11, 16 June 2024 | Updated: 22:24, 16 June 2024
If you’re wondering what happened to the summer – it’s across the Channel.
Britain is set to continue with cool and wet weather for the next week in a drab month dubbed Juneuary.
But a ‘heat dome’ in Europe will trap warm air this week and exacerbate a heatwave that has already seen temperatures soar past 44C (111.2F) in some places and caused two deaths in Cyprus.
It means while firefighters are tackling wildfires in parts of the Continent, barbecuing will remain a hazardous pastime in the UK as showers threaten to extinguish the flames.
A dry spell with warmer temperatures should creep in from around Tuesday next week, however – possibly saving festivalgoers from a muddy quagmire at Glastonbury, which begins on June 26.
Rain over us: Britain is set to continue with cool and wet weather for the next week in a drab month dubbed Juneuary. Pictured: The military procession braves the weather on Saturday at Trooping The Colour
Soak up the…rain: Sunshine has largely evaded Britain in June. Royal fans fon their umbrellas on The Mall on Saturday
Meanwhile in Athens: The Parthenon was closed this week, with members of the Red Cross on hand to give out bottled water as temperatures soared across the continent
The Copernicus Climate Change Service’s (C3S) seasonal forecast covering July, August and September predicts extreme and hotter-than-average temperatures in the Mediterranean
Arnau Fernandez, a forecaster with DTN, formerly MeteoGroup, said: ‘There’s a big contrast between the UK and central and southern Europe.
THREE-DAY FORECAST
Monday:
North – high 17C (62.6F) low 10C (50F). Rain, followed by sunshine and scattered showers.
South – high 21C (69.8F) low 14C (57.2F). Sunny and dry, showers later in northern areas.
Tuesday:
North – high 16C (60.8F) low 9C (48.2F). Cloudy, with heavy showers in the afternoon.
South – high 21C (69.6F) low 10C (50F). Generally dry, some showers in south-east later.
Wednesday:
North – high 17C (62.6F) low 9C (48.2F). Dry, becoming cloudy in the afternoon.
South – high 20C (68F) low 12C (53.6F). Dry, becoming cloudy in the afternoon.
‘A warm air mass is coming from Africa and settling across the Mediterranean and pushing into central Europe, while the UK has a northerly flow of air, which is why it’s cooler.’
Mr Fernandez recommended carrying umbrellas ‘just in case, and coats early in the morning’.
Temperatures have been between 2-4C below average in England and Wales during June, while daily rainfall has been 3-4mm ab