Leeds weather: will there be a UK heatwave in August 2022? What the Met Office says

The Met Office has  forecasted the exact time that Leeds and Yorkshire, as well as the rest of the United Kingdom, will see the return of a hot-tempered heatwave.

Loiners have only just recovered from the sun-baked temperatures that hit the city in July, leading to Leeds’ hottest-ever day.

The city felt 39C by 3 pm on Tuesday, 19 July, whilst the UK recorded a record 40.2C at Heathrow Airport in London.

Now whilst the temperatures have certainly plummeted,  residents will be interested to know that Leeds could once again bear the brunt of heatwave-esque temperatures at some point this month.

Yorkshire Evening Post has you covered with everything you need to know; such as the exact time a heatwave will hit the UK, whether it is coming to Yorkshire and what the Met Office has said.

What is a heatwave?

The word ‘heatwave’ is thrown around regularly when it comes to weather forecasts across the globe - but what is a heatwave?

According to the Met Office, a heatwave is an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of the year.

In the United Kingdom, this is the criteria the weather must meet to be considered a heatwave:

• When a location records three consecutive days with a maximum temperature that exceeds the threshold (this varies depending on the county)

For example, Leeds and the surrounding Yorkshire area has a threshold of 25℃.

Will Leeds experience a heatwave in August 2022?

According to data supplied by WXCharts, hotter temperatures are definitely expected to arrive in Leeds and across Yorkshire around Tuesday, 9 August to Thursday, 11 August 2022.

Higher temperatures and pressures will hit the city during this period.

Mercury is expected to be racing nearer to 30C levels at some point too, with temperatures staying consistently in the high 20s over a three-day period this month.

When is the heatwave expected to hit the UK?

Speaking to the Express, Tom Morgan - who is a meteorologist for the Met Office - confirmed that the country will indeed see the arrival of a heatwave this month.

Peak temperatures of the heatwave are expected to arrive around Friday, 12 August, right before the weekend.

High pressure weather systems will build towards the end of the week commencing Monday, 1 August, with temperatures estimated to get hotter on a ‘day by day basis’.

Mr Morgan confirmed that the hottest temperature will be around 30-32C.

What is the Met Office weather forecast for Leeds for the rest of this week?

Here is a daily breakdown of the Met Office weather forecast for the week, starting from Tuesday, 2 August 2022.

• Tuesday, 2 August - Cloudy all day, outbreak of a sunny interval by around 7 pm (23C)
• Wednesday, 3 August - Sunny start to the day, changing to cloudy skies around 1 pm, sunny intervals to end (22C)
• Thursday, 4 August - Sunny intervals throughout the day, hottest by mid-afternoon (20C)
• Friday, 5 August - Sunny start to the day, changing to cloudy skies by 1 pm, sunny intervals to end (19C)
• Saturday, 6 August - Sunny start to the day, changing to cloudy by 1 pm, cloudy to end with brief sun at 7 pm (20C)
• Sunday, 7 August - Sunny start to the day, changing to overcast weather by 1 pm, sunny intervals to end (22C)

What is the Met Office long range weather forecast for Leeds?

The Met Office has issued a long range weather forecast for the entirety of the UK for the period from Saturday, 6 August to Monday, 15 August 2022:

“Most places are likely to see mainly settled weather at the start of this period, with a mix of cloud and sunny spells across the country” it reads.

“However, cloud and outbreaks of rain will spread across northern areas on Saturday, the heaviest of these expected in northwest Scotland.

“Dry in the south with clear or sunny spells. Isolated showers may affect the north through the weekend and into Monday.

“Temperatures near normal, or locally warm in parts of the south. The dry weather is likely to persist further into the period, becoming more widespread in the north.

“Still the chance of some periods of organised rain in the north at times. Temperatures becoming widely near normal, but perhaps warm or very warm in the south.”