Home
Weather London
WeatherRadar
RainfallRadar
TemperatureRadar
WindRadar
LightningRadar
Weather News
Editor's Pick
Discover the app
Weather widget
Contact us
Apps
Career
    Home / Editor's Pick /

    British heatwave: why is it so hot?

10:00
13 July 2022

British heatwave
Why is it so hot?

We've already seen temperatures soar into the 30s Celsius, but how much hotter will it get, and why?

What initially seemed like an absurd weather model outlier, seems to now be an alarming possibility. Whilst there is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding just how high temperatures could get, there is enough of a chance for this to become a concern.

A combination of persistent high pressure, a plume of exceptionally hot air feeding up from North Africa and Iberia, and climate change enabling these events to become increasingly frequent and severe, have together produced the perfect recipe for the heatwave.

To understand the how's and why's in further detail, check out the above video explainer. More information can also be found in this article.

As the mercury continues to rise as the days go on, stay informed of the latest temperature predictions and observations on our TemperatureRadar.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Cheshire Gap produces shower funnel. Local phenomenon. . . Wednesday, 9 September 2026
Weather map showing showers moving southeast from Liverpool toward Birmingham, driven by Cheshire Gap convergence across central England.
Wednesday, 9 September 2026

Local phenomenon

Cheshire Gap produces shower funnel
Record ocean heat halting hurricanes. Strong El Niño influence. . . Friday, 11 September 2026
A weather map shows a calm Atlantic Ocean with no hurricanes, alongside a picture of the sea.
Friday, 11 September 2026

Strong El Niño influence

Record ocean heat halting hurricanes
More rain needed to ease drought. Reservoirs still falling. . . Tuesday, 8 September 2026
Aerial view of a depleted reservoir with exposed banks and a narrow winding stream through the dry basin, surrounded by green hills and roads.
Tuesday, 8 September 2026

Reservoirs still falling

More rain needed to ease drought
All weather news
This might also interest you
New records for England and Wales. Broken again tomorrow?. . . Thursday, 25 June 2026
Temperature map of southwest Britain on 25.06 showing extreme heat across southern Wales and southwest England, with Bute Park in Cardiff highlighted at 34.2°C and Yeovilton at 36.4°C amid widespread deep red heat zones.
Thursday, 25 June 2026

Broken again tomorrow?

New records for England and Wales
Flooding, gales, and heavy snow. Storm Chandra. . . Tuesday, 27 January 2026
Split image showing aerial flooding in a town with muddy water covering roads on the left, and a rural road on the right blocked by heavy snowfall with vans stopped and a person walking in snow.
Tuesday, 27 January 2026

Storm Chandra

Flooding, gales, and heavy snow
Long-term trends need a pinch of salt. 40 °C in July?. . . Tuesday, 30 June 2026
Temperature radar of 2022 heatwave where the all-time temperature record in the UK was set. Warning symbol overlain.
Tuesday, 30 June 2026

40 °C in July?

Long-term trends need a pinch of salt
All articles
Weather & Radar

Weather & Radar is also available on

Google Play StoreApp Store

Company

Contact us Privacy Policy Legal info Accessibility statement

Services

Uploader

Socials

facebooktwittertikToklinkList