UK Weather: Will Sussex be hit by another heatwave this summer?
Will Sussex be hit by another heatwave this summer? Here’s what the latest forecasts say.
Much of the country has been gripped by a historic heatwave this week which, for the first time in the UK, saw red warnings issued for extreme heat for three consecutive days.
The warning came into force on Wednesday morning (June 24) as temperatures exceeded 30 degrees.
Schools across Sussex were forced to close amid ‘extreme’ temperatures, and many businesses shut their doors early to protect staff.
Temperatures have now fallen into the low 20s, marking the end of the heatwave.
Met Office Chief Forecaster Dan Harris said ‘fresher air from the Atlantic’ is to thank for the cooler temperatures.
He said: “By Sunday, fresher air from the Atlantic will be almost country wide, the far east of East Anglia hanging on to very warm but less humid weather followed by a much fresher nighttime for all.
"Temperatures will return much nearer to average for all by the start of next week.”
Will we get another heatwave any time soon?
In its three-month outlook, published this month, the Met Office said the chance of a hot summer is ‘higher than normal’ this year.
This brings ‘an increased risk of heatwaves and heat-related impacts’, according to the weather service.
According to its long forecast, the Met Office said ‘high pressure will dominate across England and Wales’ in the first week of July.
“Temperatures will rise through the period, perhaps becoming very warm or hot in places,” the forecast states.
From the second week of July, temperatures ‘are likely to be above average overall, with a greater than normal chance of hot conditions developing at times’.
For a hot spell to be considered a heatwave, it must exceed a certain threshold for at least three consecutive days.
In the South East, this is set at 26 – 28 degrees.
According to early forecasts, Crawley will hit this threshold in the second week of July, with temperatures reaching between 27 and 30 degrees from July 4 to 11.
Petworth will reach 27 to 29 degrees from July 4 to 11; Crowborough will sit at between 26 to 28 degrees between July 6 to 11.
It’ll be cooler along the coast, however, with Littlehampton and Hastings both peaking at 24 degrees on the second week of July. Worthing and Eastbourne could see highs of 23.