Britain could be in for one of its hottest starts to June, with the temperature hitting 28C next week.

The balmy conditions will be courtesy of a plume of warm air from the Continent and the Azores.

Forecasters think summer could announce its arrival on Wednesday (June 2) when the hot blast is likely to reach us.

By the end of the week, the mercury is expected to peak at 28C in the South and the mid-20s in many other parts.

The rising temperatures will be a welcome relief because experts think the next few days will bring heavy rain, thunder and winds of up to 50mph.

British Weather Services forecaster Jim Dale said: “We haven’t had the chance to say ‘barbecue weather’ much this spring but next week we could well be talking about a heatwave.

“It is going to be quite a surprise for many, with quite a dramatic change in the weather expected.

“We are looking at temperatures quite widely in the mid-20Cs, possibly higher in parts, especially in the South and London.”

The highs will be well above the 16C average for June.

Long and glorious summer

Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said: “Towards the latter part of next week we are expecting a Continental feed which will bring warm air into the country.

“It does look like things will warm up and we have high confidence of above average temperatures.

"However, we are keeping our eyes on a low pressure system on Monday and Tuesday which could bring some unsettled conditions.”

She added: “Saturday is looking calmer, with more wind and rain on the way from Sunday and we could see gusts of 45mph or more along the coasts.”

Temperatures next week in European hot spots such as Spain and south France are expected to peak at around 23C.

The respite from the British rain could herald the start of a long and glorious summer, because the Met Office’s three-month outlook predicts above average temperatures until the end of August.

By contrast, figures show May was cooler and wetter than normal, with an average temperature of 9.6C and 3.6 inches of rain.

The highest June temperature on record was during the 1976 heatwave when Southampton sizzled at 35.6C.

Originally published on Mirror Online.