UK to see 'hottest day of the year' tomorrow as temperatures soar to 31C

Friday is likely to be the UK’s hottest day of the year so far, according to the latest forecast from the Met Office. Temperatures are set to be hottest in the east and southeast of England with highs of nearly 32C predicted.

Although the UK as a whole will face a mixed picture on Friday and into the weekend, eastern areas are expected to see the high temperatures last into Saturday.

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “I think it’s quite likely we will see the hottest day of the year across the UK as a whole.” The highest temperature so far in 2024 across the UK was recorded at Wisley in Surrey on June 26 (30.5C).

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Mr Morgan said: “Tomorrow I think we will see highs of around 31C, possibly close to 32C, in eastern and south-eastern England. But it won’t be anywhere near as hot in Scotland or Northern Ireland and here they won’t see a new warmest day of the year.”

It comes as yellow heat health alerts were issued on Wednesday by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) covering the East Midlands, East England, London and the South East from Thursday to Saturday.

The Met Office has also warned hayfever sufferers that pollen levels will be high on Friday in almost all areas of the UK.

In Manchester, temperatures are expected to peak at 28C by the late afternoon, according to the Met Office forecast. The weather agency said it would be a "warm and dry day for many with plentiful amounts of sunshine" across the north west.

It added: "Cloudier for Cumbria, particularly west of the Lake District, with the odd spot of drizzle possible over the hills."

On Saturday, temperatures are expected to dip back down to 23C with a chance of some