3rd July
The brisk breeze on Thursday, gusting to 20mph from the northwest, meant a cooler start to the day after cloud from the back edge of the weather front eased away, then produced a very warm day with the thermometer peaking at 24.6C at 16.02, which was 1.8C above average. By contrast, the last night was very cool, in fact the coolest for two months, since 17th May, with a minimum of 6.9C at 05.02 early Friday being 5C below average. This was due to a clear sky and the residue of the cooler air from the northwest, that is about to change.
Friday began with hazy sunshine through high cloud but the thermometer had recovered to 14.9C by 08.00 after the cool.
The Azores high has been building across the country in the last twenty-four hours with a rise of 9mb since yesterday with a reading of 1030.4mb at 08.00, which was the highest pressure since the end of May. The forecast pressure charts indicate that the high pressure will settle just off the Bay of Biscay for some considerable time and produce hot weather for a week or more with heatwave conditions arriving on Monday.
The Met Office has warned that UK waters are experiencing a long-lasting marine heatwave with a risk of hitting rare ‘extreme’ levels next week as temperatures are expected to break records again
The Met Office has issued a new ‘extreme’ heatwave warning as UK waters could reach ‘severe’ levels next week.
The prolonged marine heatwave affecting UK waters throughout much of 2026 is set to escalate next week as temperatures of 39C are forecast.
According to the Met Office, surface waters in north-west European seas are presently experiencing moderate to severe marine heatwave conditions, with numerous areas currently classified as “strong” and some “severe”.
This indicates waters have climbed to temperatures typically anticipated in August and are on average 2C above normal.
In some areas of the English and Welsh coastlines, temperatures have climbed more than 4-5C.
Specialists suggest these record-breaking temperatures are likely to have far-reach-ing consequences on weather systems, the global climate and ecosystems, triggering changes in fish populations and harming numerous marine species.
This follows the raised sea-surface temperatures which surged in recent days, partially due to last week’s exceptional heatwave, fuelled by climate change and a “heat dome” that became stationary over Europe and confined heat for several days.
I am starting a new series of pictures taken taken a few years ago on Skomer Island, just off the cast of Pembrokeshire, where a puffin colony resides.