The mini-heatwave is set to come to a thundery end later this week
WALES’ brief heatwave is predicted to end with thunderstorms later this week, as the Met Office has issued a warning covering much of the country for Thursday. While temperatures could reach a sweltering 30°C in the coming days, a significant weather change is expected by the week’s end.
A yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued for parts of Wales and England, effective from noon on Thursday, August 1, until just before midnight.
Before this change, Wales will experience a mini-heatwave, with temperatures hitting 30°C in parts of Monmouthshire and reaching the high 20s elsewhere. This warm spell is due to high pressure and warm air moving up from the south, resulting in dry, fine, and sunny conditions.
However, Thursday is expected to bring a shift, with potential thundery downpours. The warning indicates: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to break out across parts of England and Wales on Thursday afternoon. The exact location of showers is still uncertain, and some places will stay dry all day.”
It continues: “However, where the showers do occur, they could be torrential, with additional hazards of lightning, hail, and gusty winds. The heaviest showers could result in 20-30 mm within an hour, with 24-hour accumulations possibly reaching as much as 70-90 mm where multiple showers affect the same location.”
In Wales, the warning covers Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, and Wrexham.
Despite this, the long-range forecast suggests more settled weather for early to mid-August. The Met Office’s long-range UK forecast indicates it will generally be “drier and brighter much of the time,” although there is a slight chance of some thundery showers spreading in from Europe.
The forecast up to August 11 states: “There are signs that a more widely settled period becomes more probable towards mid-August. Temperatures during this period will probably be close to or slightly above average overall, with the likelihood of some very warm conditions developing in the south and perhaps parts of the east at times.”
