UK weather forecast: Britain to be hotter than Barcelona as weekend heatwave sweeps in

Temperatures could reach 30C with soaring humidity

The start of June will bring a burst of scorching weather to Britain – hotter than Barcelona, Ibiza and St Tropez, forecasters predict.

Temperatures could reach up to 30C this weekend, the highest of the year so far, as humidity soars.

Bookmaker Coral has odds of 2-1 that this June will be the hottest since records began, amid growing concerns about climate change.

Met Office experts said sheltered central and southern areas could experience highs of 28C on Saturday 1 June, with potential thunderstorms over the weekend.

That would make the UK hotter than holiday hot spots in Spain, where highs of between 23C and 24C are expected.

Most of the country will enjoy balmy weather at the weekend, meteorologists said.

Forecaster Grahame Madge said: “The indication is that we could see highs of 28C, isolated highs of around 28C, on Saturday, and the most likely candidate places for those would be places like Norwich [and] north London, those sorts of areas away from the coast but in the southeast.

“And on Sunday we could see highs of 29C, even possibly 30C.

“So Sunday looks very much as though it’s going to be a warmer day than Saturday.

“Once this warm front, and the air behind it, starts to pull across the UK, we will see temperatures starting to rise.”

However, some areas may potentially experience frost before the weekend begins, a Met Office spokesperson said.

Conditions will be rather cool and showery before it becomes increasingly warm and humid after Friday.

There will be a “fundamental change” once the warm front, known as tropical maritime air, starts to draw the warmer air across the UK, Mr Madge said.

“Tonight, for example, some parts of England could see a frost before this warm front starts to work its way across.

“We’re expecting its arrival overnight so probably getting into the western parts of Britain by just after midnight.”

The west of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England could all have spells of rain on Wednesday and Thursday, the Met Office said.

The weekend spike in heat is not expected to last into next week, with cooler, fresher conditions likely to move into most areas by Monday, followed by more changeable weather.

Additional reporting by PA