UNITED KINGDOM: The UK is likely to witness record breaking temperatures in the days ahead on arrival of the African plume. The nation will be basking in blistering summers as the high pressure system approaches the land leading to extreme rise in temperature until 35 degrees Celsius .

The Met Office’s long-range forecast, which covers the period from Tuesday May 23 – Thuesday Jun 1, states that high pressure “will dominate over most of the UK through the first half of this period, with settled conditions for most of the country” and that the predicted warm weather fronts will “bring a good deal of fine and dry weather for the majority of areas”.

Scotland and Northern Ireland can expect rather cloudy skies on Saturday, accompanied by patches of rain that will gradually move southeastwards.

“The far southeast could experience cooler temperatures due to a brisk breeze. Next week, most regions can expect fine and dry weather, with periods of cloud and rain more likely in the northwest of the UK. Unsettled weather remained a possibility in the far southeast, a news outlet quoted.”Moving into Sunday the regions will witness intermittent rains. England and Wales can again look forward to sunny spells breaking through the clouds at times.

Overall, temperatures during the day are expected to be above average for most parts of the country next week, although the far southeast may see temperatures closer to average.

What is African Plume?

It is a mass of hot air coming from the Sahara desert towards Europe. The plume brings an extended period of unusually high temperatures, frequently surpassing 30 degrees Celcius in the UK. The exceedingly high temperatures may even persist for days or weeks. Further, the intensity can vary each year, depending on the atmospheric conditions.