Britain will melt in 99F (37C) temperatures by the weekend as the Met Office issues a health alert – but rain will hit northern parts of the country first with flood warnings for Scotland.
The scorching air from Europe at the end of the week will come after the wet weather also predicted for the North West will clear by tomorrow.
But the Met Office put out a yellow weather warning for north of the border today as west Scotland – including Glasgow and Stirling – look set to be drenched.
The heat from the Continent is due to be carried on southerly winds across the majority of England, meaning hot and dry conditions for many.
Temperatures could peak at around 90F (32C) for the south of England on Thursday and 79F (26C) in the north of the country.
While the Bahamas, in the Caribbean, could be as hot as 89F (31C) on Friday, the Met Office has said temperatures in England could reach 99F (37C).
Casablanca, in Morocco, is due to see highs of 81F (27C) on Friday, by comparison. While Lisbon has seen recent hot weather, it is expected to have peaked by the weekend with temperatures around 86F (30C).
A woman jogs through Burgess Park, as the iconic Shard is seen in the background, in London this morning as the sun came out again
Drone pictures show the morning sunrise over Victoria Tower on Castle Hill in Kirklees Sunrise at Castle Hill, West Yorkshire, this morning
A beautiful sunrise at Branksome Chine, Bournemouth, Dorset, this morning sees the sky reflect off the sea-covered sand
Heartbroken daughter tells how her hero father ‘used all his strength’ to give his three children a final smile after rescuing them from a rip current before he drowned
The heartbroken daughter of a father-of-seven who died while rescuing three of his children after they got caught in a rip tide has revealed how he ‘used all his strength’ to give them a final smile.
Jonathan ‘Joff’ Stevens, 36, was with the youngsters aged ten to 12 at Barmouth in North Wales when they began to struggle in the water yesterday lunchtime.
The plasterer tried to pull the children to safety, and a major rescue operation was launched involving a lifeboat and Coastguard search and rescue helicopter.
Jonathan Stevens is pictured with his partner Laura Burford and four of their children – including Lacey (bottom right) and Jack (bottom centre), whom he rescued yesterday
Mr Stevens, from Telford, Shropshire, was then pulled from the water and flown to Gwynedd Hospital in Bangor in an air ambulance but died.
Now, his daughter Lauren, 11, has shared how she ran to lifeguards and pleaded ‘my dad is drowning, please save him’.
In a tragic revelation, she also said her father smiled at his children one last time after saving Lacey, 12, and Jack, ten.
Earlier, Mr Stevens’ heartbroken partner Laura Burford, who was back home 80 miles away when the tragedy happened, said he had died a hero while ‘saving their babies’.
Daughter Lauren told the Sun that the lifeguards rushed to save her father, carrying him to the beach, adding that he looked ‘lifeless’.
She said: ‘Dad opened his eyes and looked over to me, Joshua, and Lacey and Jack, who by now were back with us and he gave us a smile.
‘But the next second he collapsed again and the lifeguards carried him in, laid him down on the sand and gave him CPR. He never opened his eyes again.
‘I think Dad had used his last bit of strength to open his eyes and smile at us and when he saw we were all okay he knew he could let go and die happily.’
Although the hot spell is due to last throughout Saturday, the temperature is due to drop and by Sunday some parts of the country could see thunder storms.
The Met Office has also issued a heat health alert for the south east of England and warned UV levels could be high in some parts.
High temperatures on Saturday could see heatwave conditions being met in southern and the south east of England.
Bonnie Diamond, a forecaster for the Met Office, said: ‘It’s a bit of an unsettled start in north western parts but for the southern half of the country, it is a dry first half of the week.
‘The heat turns up from Thursday with warmer weather across the whole of the country. It will be really quite hot across parts of the south east of England where we expect to see temperatures in the low to mid-30s, with the peak of the heat on Friday.
‘Southerly winds across England are going to bring warm air over from Europe and further south it is going to be hot. Temperatures in England and south Wales will be in the high 20s and low 30s.
‘By Friday, we will be seeing the hottest of the spell with temperatures widely over 30C (86F).
‘There will be a focus of temperatures reaching around 34C (93F) to 35C (95F) in the south east and we are going for a maximum of 37C (99F) on Friday in the south east of England.
‘Saturday looks to be very warm or hot for many, although not quite as hot as Friday. Sunday we should have sunshine to go along with the temperatures. There is a possibility of thunder storms for some part of the country.’
Met Office Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders added: ‘Most of us will see a spell of warm, summery weather later this week, with hot weather developing across southern parts of the UK.
‘From Thursday temperatures will be in the low- to mid-20s Celsius for Northern Ireland, Scotland and north Wales, but it will be much warmer across southern and central areas, with temperatures widely reaching around 30 Celsius, possibly 32 Celsius in the southeast of England.
‘It’ll be another hot day on Friday with temperatures widely reaching 30 Celsius, or higher, in central, southern and some northern parts of England. It is likely to be hotter still in southeast England where 34 to 37 Celsius is possible.
‘Saturday will likely be another hot day for southern and central parts of the UK, with heatwave conditions possibly being met in parts of southern and southeast England.’
It follows a weekend of hot weather which saw some of England’s most popular tourist hotspots deluged with visitors.
The Met Office confirmed last Friday was the third hottest day since records began in 1910, after 100.04F (37.8C) was recorded at London’s Heathrow Airport.
There are fears Cornwall could face being locked down as locals blast holidaymakers for not wearing face coverings or respecting social distancing.
The county’s narrow streets have been flooded with tourists and the local council was forced to deploy street patrols to reprimand rule breakers.
Deputy Leader of Cornwall Council Adam Paynter warned a local lockdown – as seen in Leicester and parts of the North West – would spell doom for the staycation season.
A man is pictured jogging with his dog in the bright morning sunshine on Wimbledon Common in south west London this morning
Red sky in the morning, shepherds’ warning: Rain looks set for the Sunflower Maze in Tarbock, Merseyside, as it wakes up to a crimson sky today
A field in Bingham, Nottinghamshire, sits under as stunning sky ahead of a warm day in the East Midlands before temperatures rocket at the weekend
The sun rises above the morning fog at Rockford Common in the New Forest in Hampshire this morning ahead of a warm day in the southern county
Joggers were up bright and early as they exercised on Wimbledon Common in south west London this morning as the temperature rose
Dawn colours over electricity pylons at Bingham, in Nottinghamshire, with parts of the UK looking set for a scorching weekend
He told Cornwall Live: ‘I urge all visitors to Cornwall to follow guidelines such as washing hands, wearing a mask when required to and maintaining a social distance.
‘We want to avoid the local lockdowns that have happened further north that have seen places shut down and we want to make sure the attractions stay open for local and visitors to enjoy and don’t want to see anything closed and the best way to achieve that is if people do all they can to follow the rules to avoid spreading the coronavirus. If they do that, they’ll remain open.’
He added: ‘Just because you’re on holiday it doesn’t mean you can just forget everything. There have been reports that some people when refusing to wear a mask have said they’ve come down to Cornwall to get away from it as if the coronavirus doesn’t exist in Cornwall when it does. People need to be sensible and follow all the guidelines.’
Nearly 20million Britons plan to go on a staycation holiday in the UK this year, a poll found yesterday, amid fears over a fresh stampede of revellers to beauty spots.
Tourists are expected to flock back to beaches across the country as temperatures up to 99F (37C) sweep in from central Europe by the end of the week amid a level two heat warning.
A YouGov poll found 28 per cent of Britons plan to take a holiday in the UK this year – the equivalent of about 19million people – while only 9 per cent will go abroad and a further 49 per cent do not intend on holidaying.
A couple are pictured holding hands as they walk together in the bright morning sunshine on Wimbledon Common in south west London today
The full moon, known as a Sturgeon Moon is pictured riseing through the clouds above Edinburgh Castle in the Scottish capital