Brand new weather maps have revealed when the UK will be hit by a 28C heatwave that will hammer Britain later this month.

The maps show that temperatures will peak in the middle of the month on July 15 in the south and south east. Towns and villages around the South Downs and south of London will see the highest temperatures of around 27C to 28C.

Further to the east and west, the mercury will fall slightly in places such as Canterbury, Dartford, Dover, Swindon, and Reading to between 25C and 26C. Meanwhile, Devon and Cornwall will also see slightly lower temperatures with lows of 17C and highs of 25C.

Temperatures remain high in the Midlands and northern parts of England too. Around Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leicester temperatures will remain around 26C while in Newcastle and Middlesbrough, they will be slightly lower at 23C.

Scotland will experience much cooler peaks of 22C in urban areas and lows of 13C to 17C in coastal towns and villages. Wales too will be cooler than much of England with the mercury falling to 16C on the coast and rising 25C further inland.

The trend of England being much warmer than Wales or Scotland continues into July 16 as temperatures remain high in the south and south east, but cooler to the west, south west, and north. Whilst the mercury will skyrocket to close to 30C on July 16, in Scotland it will fall as low as 11C on higher ground.

The latest heatwave comes as the UK endures a summer of unsettled and tumultuous weather varying from 30C heat to torrential downpours that blighted April, May, and parts of June.

However, despite unsettled weather in June, the Met Office said it was one of the driest months on record. They said it was drier and cooler than average with 29 percent less rain than what is expected for what it described as the “long-term meteorological average”.

The trend for unsettled weather is forecast to continue into July with the Met Office warning in its long-term forecast that between July 16 and July 30 the UK could be in for another mix of warm and wet conditions.

They explained: “There has been an emerging trend towards more settled and possibly warmer weather in the run up to this period, which appears to have been brought forward from the middle of the month.

“This may well continue through to the start of this period with drier conditions a little more likely than normal. However, as we go through the rest of the month, the latest information suggests that a return to cooler and more unsettled weather is now slightly favoured.

“The forecast signals are all rather weak and conflicting, so confidence in a definitive story at this range can be nothing other than very low.”

Today:

A day of sunshine and well scattered showers on Tuesday, these mainly affecting Scotland and Northern Ireland. Turning breezy and cloudy in the far northwest later with outbreaks of rain. Feeling pleasant in any sunshine.

Tonight:

Rain continuing to spread eastwards across Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England this evening and overnight. Generally drier further south but remaining cloudy.

Wednesday:

A cloudy and damp day for many on Wednesday, particularly in the north of the UK. Turning especially breezy in the northwest and feeling cool under the cloud and rain.

Outlook for Thursday to Saturday:

Brighter on Thursday with blustery showers. Winds becoming lighter on Friday with outbreaks of rain in the south. Sunshine and showers on Saturday. Temperatures remaining on the cool side.