Will Sunderland see another heatwave this summer? Met Office forecast for August

Following the series of hot days over July, the end of last month saw slightly cooler temperatures, but the weather is slowly starting to warm up again.

According to the Met Office, July was the driest month in 20 years with the UK only seeing 56% of its average rainfall compared to the average year.

The weather service is suggesting the North East may not see any rain for a while, but how high could temperatures get?

Despite the dry weather, overcast skies have kept temperatures down throughout the opening week of August with clear skies seeing temperatures rise throughout the following week.

Looking ahead, highs of 24°C throughout the second week of the month will fall by Thursday, August 11 to around 19°C

Predictions going forward suggest temperatures will remain above average throughout the country with additional spells of very warm and even heatwaves possible, although these will likely be restricted to southern areas.

This means the next two weeks or so in Sunderland will see the weather remain similar to what we saw over the first few days of the month.

Throughout the second half of August, unsettled weather is expected to head across the UK with the potential of thunderstorms in some areas of the country, although it seems unlikely that these will hit the North East at the moment.

These thunderstorms will be matched with higher than average levels of humidity and around average temperatures.

For context, average temperatures in Sunderland are just over 18°C throughout July and August with levels averaging out at 12.3°C overnight. These are the two warmest months of the year according to historical data.

Settled conditions are set to return towards the end of the month and into September, with early predictions suggesting slightly above average temperatures across the country as the summer holidays come to an end.

How does the Met Office describe a heatwave?

A heatwave is defined by the Met Office as “an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year,” with the threshold for a UK heatwave being three consecutive days of unusually warm weather.