Met Office issues verdict on second 31C heatwave in just days

Britain has barely cooled off after last week's 33C blast, but the hot weather is already queueing up for a return. Met Office forecaster Oli Claydon said that a "short-lived localised heatwave" is possible in the South East, with highs "potentially reaching 29C on Saturday, 30C on Sunday and 31C on Monday".

But before the heat arrives, he warned of a bumpy spell. "Wednesday will be warmer," Mr Claydon said, "with an increasing risk of showers and thunderstorms." Temperatures should still touch 27C in eastern England on Thursday, though heavy showers are likely in the east and persistent rain will bother the far northwest of Scotland into the evening.

Friday brings another push of warmth. "Friday will see a maximum of 27C again," Mr Claydon added, "the showers will clear away to the northeast, with local drizzle in parts of the South West and Wales through the day."

From there, the thermostat is expected to climb: 29C on Saturday, 30C on Sunday, and, if the most optimistic model is right, 31C on Monday, Sky News reported.

The Met Office stressed that the 31C figure carries "lower certainty", but the ingredients for another burst of heat are lining up.

A heatwave in the UK is declared when an area records its specific threshold temperature (25C for much of the country, 28C in London and the Home Counties) for three days in a row.

The Met Office believes only the South East is likely to meet that bar this time, unlike last week when large swathes of England and parts of Wales sweltered.

BBC Weather backs the basic timeline. It says south-westerly winds on Wednesday will "start to draw in hotter weather", lifting the Midlands, East Anglia and the South East to 26-29C.

Humid air could trigger "heavy, thundery showers" overnight.

After a slightly cooler Thursday, temperatures in East Anglia and Kent are forecast to reach 28-29C on Friday, with many places "in the high twenties and low thirties" by Sunday and Monday.

Festival-goers and sports fans should prepare for contrasts.

Glastonbury opens on Wednesday under sunshine and 25C heat but faces a soggy, thundery spell overnight into Thursday before drying up again for the weekend, BBC Weather says.

Wimbledon, which begins Monday, may serve its first aces in 31C heat, sliding back into the high twenties later in the week.

The Met Office expects cooler Atlantic air to push in after Monday, but says confidence falls the further ahead you look.