UK weather – Euro 2020 to kick off on hottest weekend of year as UK basks in 30C scorcher ahead of England v Croatia

that "high-pressure from the Azores will extend across the bulk of the country this week, bringing predominantly settled weather and allowing temperatures to slowly rise.

"Temperatures, particularly in the south, are likely to reach the mid, to possibly high 20s of Celsius over the next few days and into the weekend.

"Some areas may reach heatwave criteria."

A heatwave is defined by the Met Office as an uninterrupted period of exceptionally high temperatures.

Met Office press officer Oli Claydon said that the south east corner - including East Anglia and Cambridgeshire - is "where the better weather is".

Oli said in regards to this weekend that there could be "a maximum possible temperature on Sunday of 28C, with a chance of 29C - and we are not ruling out the chance of 30C.

"Warm temperatures are set to continue for next week."

Unsurprisingly, the Met Office has warned that "the peak of the grass pollen season is approaching, and there will be high grass and nettle pollen levels in many southern areas this week."

The Weather Outlook's Brian Gaze said temperatures will be climbing during the rest of the week, especially across southern and central regions.

He explained that "it will also be turning increasingly humid as a southwesterly flow pulls up sub-tropical air.

"Values are likely to reach the upper 20Cs and it is possible that 30C will be pipped more than once in the south between Friday and Monday.

"Nighttime temperatures will also be high in the southern half of the UK, perhaps not falling below 19C on Saturday night."

'Could see four days of 30C'

He added: "In the north it won't be as warm, but northeastern Scotland could see temperatures into the mid 20Cs on Sunday.

"By Tuesday cooler air will probably be returning from the Atlantic, but there is uncertainty about its southeastwards progression.

"Coming after the prolonged cool period in April and May this is the weather doing a complete U turn."

Anthony Grist of WX Updates tweeted: "Temperatures are certainly on the up this week, we could see four days of 30C in the south east."

The warmest day of the year so far was June 2nd when 28.3C was reached at Northolt in London, but this record may be beat come the end of the week.

The mercury could reach 27C in Kent on Friday.

Ladbrokes has already said that "temperatures will smash 30C this week" and the betting agency has a 4/5 shot for a hosepipe ban to be issued anywhere in the UK this month, while 4/6 says this goes down as the hottest June ever.