Britain finally gets a taste of summer – and tomorrow is going to be even HOTTER
Thunderstorms at the end of the week will see figures plummet
BRITS are set to roast in a 34 degree heat this week as temperatures rocket showing summer has finally arrived on our shores.
Yesterday the UK basked in the hottest temperatures of the year so far - with forecasters predicting the mercury will soar to the mid-30s this week.
Thousands of people flock to the beach at Woolacombe in Devon as Britain's heatwave continues
Record highs of 27.6C were recorded in several parts of England on Sunday, nudging ahead of the previous best of 27.4C set on June 6.
And the fine summer weather - which has come just as kids break up for their school holidays - shows no signs of stopping - at least until the end of the week when thunderstorms clear away the hot air bringing temperatures down to the mid-20s which is more normal for this time of year.
Steven Keates, senior forecaster at the Met Office, said: "For the week ahead, the first couple of days are getting warmer.
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"Monday will get off to a misty and hazy start in a few places but will be up to 27C in some of the cooler places such as west Scotland.
"London and the Midlands might be knocking on the door of 30C and then even further - 33C and 34C by Tuesday.
"Things will cool down a bit overnight into Wednesday, but even then it will still be the mid-20s."
Forecaster Emma Sharples added: "On Monday there will be plenty of sunshine in the south, although there will be rain in Scotland.
"There will also be a few showers across the north and west of the UK, but there'll be sunshine in northern England with temperatures in the mid to high 20s and in the south it may just hit 29 in a few local spots around the London area.
"Things will continue to build into Tuesday which will probably be the warmest day of the week when it's expected to hit 32 or 33 degrees in most parts from the south through to the Midlands - although everywhere should see temperatures in the mid to high 20s, even in places like Glasgow which haven't had good weather recently."
According to the experts however the baking daytime heat will mean a humid and sticky night on Tuesday with temperatures not falling below 17 or 18 degrees overnight which will make it uncomfortable for sleeping.
However it will also be the last day of the week where the whole of the UK benefits from the scorching summer heat.
Emma Sharples said: "That will be the last widespread warm day as then things start to break down and we get thunderstorms through the Midlands and northwards - but that's not to say areas in the south will completely get away with it.
"The storms will clear the humid weather away although it will remain fairly warm.
"On Wednesday the south will stay mostly dry and could still see it hit 30 or 31 degrees."
As we hit the end of the week however the summer heat is set to be turned down as things start to feel fresher and temperatures plummet to the early to mid 20s which are more normal for this time of year.
From Friday and through the weekend there will be rain showers bringing in a week of changeable weather next week - similar to the conditions we saw across the UK last week.
The forecaster added: "As ever the south will continue to see the warmest of the weather this week and next."
Paddy Power is offering odds of 11/4 that we’ll experience the hottest UK temperature on record this month.
That would mean scorching the current record of 38.5 °C, experienced in Kent in 2003.
The bookmaker makes it 5/2 that we’ll have three consecutive days that are hotter than 30°C in July, 9/2 that we’ll see a temperature of more than 40°C , and 20/1 that a nationwide hosepipe ban will be effected.
A spokesman for Paddy Power said: "Me and Mrs P have been having a heated debate over this one – whether my legs are too pasty for shorts or not. It sounds like we should make the most of this weather while it lasts, though – as rain is forecast for the weekend."
According to a study of 2,000 families holiday pastimes such as Punch and Judy, Helter Skelters and sticks of rock are on the way out.
Games like beach cricket and wheelbarrow-racing are also in decline.
Results showed just a third of families played I-spy on their last family holiday, less than that sat in a deck chair and under four per cent used a beach hut.
The study of British holidays, commissioned by Beach Retreats, found that while many traditional activities are in decline, some – digging holes in the sand and exploring rock pools - are timeless.
Smartphones may have all but killed off the postcard as we happily reportedly snap 81 photos on average per holiday - with only 30 per cent sending a single postcard while away.
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