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 /

    Myth or fact? Is a "mini-heatwave" coming?

15:00
19 April 2023

Myth or fact?
Is a "mini-heatwave" coming?

blue sky

Now we've all heard rumours of this "mini-heatwave", but are the rumours true?

A long-range forecast from the Met Office seemed to fuel the frenzy with hopes that a "heatwave" was more imminent, especially given temperatures just reached 20°C for the first time this year.

The statement however, detailed the chance of warmth at the end of April in a long-range forecast, after the spell of below-average temperatures coming up.

What is a heatwave?

A heatwave is defined as a prolonged period of hot weather after a temperature threshold has been reached and/or surpassed for a certain number of days. The exact threshold varies depending on location, so is a fairly loose definition

A long-range forecast is purely built on trends and averages. For example, if the next few weeks look to be warmer than average on the weather models, or drier than average.

When there is good agreement across weather models, you can have greater certainty, though it is still very difficult to give any indication of detail such as exact temperatures so many days ahead.

For now, the rest of this week looks to be dominated by high pressure, with temperatures fluctuating around the average. From around the 23rd April however, cold, northerly winds look to plunge in delivering below average temperatures.

In some weather models, at present, there is an indication by the end of that week that milder air from the south will push its way back in, while some others are set on the cold clinging on for a little longer.

How are weather forecasts created?read more

We will be sure to keep you updated on any and all upcoming weather in the longer-term, but you can also check out the WeatherRadar to see the detail in the shorter-term.

Weather & Radar editorial team
More on the topic
Huge hailstones in Poland. Severe weather hits towns. . . Friday, 7 August 2026
Friday, 7 August 2026

Severe weather hits towns

Huge hailstones in Poland
Getting through the latest heatwave. Tips to beat the heat. . . Tuesday, 11 August 2026
Split graphic showing temperatures up to 35°C in England and 28°C in Ireland beside a person applying sunscreen, with a heat warning symbol highlighting hot weather.
Tuesday, 11 August 2026

Tips to beat the heat

Getting through the latest heatwave
The best views of the solar eclipse. Across Europe. . . Thursday, 13 August 2026
Solar eclipse: The sun obscured between wind turbines in Sardinia
Thursday, 13 August 2026

Across Europe

The best views of the solar eclipse
All weather news
This might also interest you
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
Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan. Up to 1,000 mm of rain. . . Wednesday, 8 July 2026
The image shows an intense tropical cyclone over the western Pacific, east of Taiwan and the Philippines. The centre of the system is depicted as a light purple and white vortex with a clearly visible eye, surrounded by a ring of red and orange areas indicating the strongest wind speeds. A white arrow marks the typhoon’s predicted track towards the north-west, in the direction of Taiwan. To the west of the storm lie the Philippines, with the cities of Manila and Cebu; to the north of these lies Taiwan, with Taipei. Further west, the Chinese coast, including Hong Kong, and parts of Vietnam can be seen. The coloured wind map shows predominantly green areas outside the storm’s core, indicating significantly weaker winds. White streamlines illustrate the typhoon’s anti-clockwise circulation in the Northern Hemisphere. The highest wind speeds are concentrated around the eye of the cyclone.
Wednesday, 8 July 2026

Up to 1,000 mm of rain

Super Typhoon Bavi threatens Taiwan
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
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