South-east England could be hotter than LA next week, forecasters say | UK weather

Tropical air could make parts of the UK hotter than California at the end of next week with temperatures forecast to possibly rise above 30C, but only after heavy rain lashes the country.

High pressure expected to build from the middle of the week means temperatures in south-east England could reach 32C on Friday, according to the Met Office – higher than the 26C predicted for Los Angeles.

However, heavy and persistent rain is predicted for most of the country from Sunday evening into Monday.

A weather warning could be imposed for parts of north Wales, with about 50mm (2 inches) of rain forecast to fall on Monday – about half-a-month’s worth for the area.

Met Office forecaster Dan Stroud said: “We are looking at the possibility of reaching the low 30s later in the week, most likely on Friday, probably in and around London, running into East Anglia and other parts of the south and east.

He said that after “a miserable and wet day” for England and Wales on Monday there were signs of an improvement and temperatures would start to rise.

“We’ve got high pressure building from the middle of the week and that will tap into some tropical continental air, which will draw up some very warm, locally hot air that will allow temperatures to climb steadily,” he said.

“By the time we get into Friday and maybe into Saturday we stand a chance of breaking into the 30s.”

Temperatures may also climb in other parts of the country on Friday, with much of England and Wales to surpass 25C, while Scotland and Northern Ireland could reach the low-to-mid 20s.

Many areas will be dry with sunny spells during the warm period, according to the Met Office, but there may be outbreaks of thundery showers.

Stroud said the heat was likely be short-lived as low pressure will move back in, making next weekend more unsettled.