The Met Office UK weather service has shot down tabloid reports of a “blowtorch summer”.
While early statistics show both May and spring have been warmer and sunnier than average, the Met Office says suggestions July will be embellished with 35C blasts of searing heat are inaccurate.
Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze had earlier alleged: “35C highs would not be a surprise ahead. A ‘blowtorch’ pattern with several shots of hot air from southern Europe is expected.”
But forecaster Emma Sharples of the Met Office told HuffPost UK: “It’s looking like a mixed bag for June and while that doesn’t preclude the chance of some hot spells, we’re not seeing anything to suggest heat of that nature.”
Sharples added: “A ‘blowtorch’ pattern is not a meteorological term and it is impossible to look that far forward.”
The Met Office provides a maximum 30-day forecast, with predictions for mid-June to July looking mixed, with some rainy showers and some “warm or even hot interludes,” though nothing as specific as the 35C highs claimed.
Meanwhile a yellow weather warning is currently in place with heavy rain expected across north west England, Wales, Yorkshire and Humber through Monday and into Tuesday.
Between 40 – 60mm of rain is expected, with as much as 80mm possible over high ground in Cumbria and Snowdonia. For reference, the average monthly rainfall for England in June is 62mm so it’s going to get pretty soggy out there.
As for the rest of the week, it’s going to feel significantly cooler and fresher with patches of rain until Friday or Saturday, which will see a return to the mid to high 20s.
Mean temperatures over May and spring for the UK as a whole are likely to rank among the top five warmest since 1910.