Mercury could hit 85F from Friday making Britain hotter than IBIZA 

Swathes of the country could bask in glorious temperatures reaching as high as 29C this weekend.  

Though the week may have started downcast and gloomy for many, Brits can look forward to the weekend as the sun makes a welcome return on Friday. 

Met Office forecasters say warmer weather is on the way, as temperatures in the London area could hit 29C (84F) by Friday and Saturday, and may peak at around 23-24C (73-75F) across central and southern England.

In Wales and the North, where it is likely to be cloudier, there could be highs of 20-21C (68-70F). 

There is a cloudy start in the Capital today, with Met Office forecasters predicting temperatures to peak at around 22C at their highest. 

Some northwestern and western areas will see cloud and some drizzle, mostly towards northwest Scotland. Southeastern and eastern England may also stay rather cloudy though other areas could brighten up with some warm sunshine. 

Oli Claydon, of the Meteorological Office, said: ‘As the week goes on, temperatures are going to rise – but there will be quite a lot of cloud around so there are not going to be crystal-clear conditions everywhere.

‘By Wednesday, we could see temperatures climbing as high as 24-25C (75-77F) in the South-East, rising to 27-29C (81-84F) by Friday and Saturday.

‘The sunniest weather and highest temperatures are likely to be south-east of a line stretching from The Wash to Southampton. But even as far north as Newcastle upon Tyne it could reach 22-23C (72-73F), and there could be highs of 23-24C (73-75F) in Plymouth.’

Maximum UK temperatures are likely to beat those in Ibiza, which is expected to reach 27C (81F) on Friday and 28C (84F) on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Bahamas is likely to reach 29C. Mr Claydon said there is ‘some uncertainty’ about whether the very warm and sunny conditions will last into Sunday.

It is the first time this month that temperatures are forecast to reach the 80s Fahrenheit, after the last heatwave in late June.

June 25 was the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 33.3C (91.9F) at Heathrow airport and hundreds of thousands flocking to beaches despite social-distancing rules. In the meantime, many areas are due to be cloudy through today and tomorrow, with some patchy light rain. The best of any brightness is due to be in the South-East.

Into next week, the weather is due to be split between dry and warm conditions in the South and East, and a cooler, cloudier situation in the North and West, with wet and windy spells possible.