Britain set to sizzle in glorious summer – with sunny days more than twice as likely than usual

BRITAIN is set to bake during a glorious summer of sun, with soaring temperatures and heatwaves more than twice as likely than in an average year.

The Met Office had been ­reluctant to predict too far ahead after it infamously declared a “barbecue summer” in 2009.

AlamyBritain is set for a summer of sunshine with soaring temperatures[/caption]

Forecasters were left red-faced after July that year was one of the wettest on record with non-stop downpours.

However, in its latest long-range forecast, released yesterday to mark the first day of summer, the Met Office revealed an increased chance of heatwaves.

It said the chance of a hot summer is 2.3 times more likely than normal.

It is also likely to increase the risk of drought conditions and hosepipe bans.

But a spokesman warned: “The increased chance of hotter than average temperatures is not a guarantee of ­prolonged hot weather or heatwaves.

“It does, however, mean that heatwave conditions could be reached at times.

“It’s important to bear in mind that an increased chance of hot conditions could also reflect a mix of hot and cool days, warm nights, or less extreme levels of warmth rather than continual heatwave conditions specifically.”

It comes after the sunniest spring since records began in 1910 saw the nation clock up 630 hours of sunshine between March 1 and May 27.

And in a further boost, weekend temperatures were 8C above the ­average for this time of year.

The average temperatures across the UK during the summer months range from 10C (50F) to 17C (62.5F).

The South East traditionally experiences higher averages of 16C (61F) to 17C.

But the next three months are unlikely to topple 2022 as the hottest summer to date — when ­temperatures hit a UK record 40.3C (104.5F).

GettyThe Met Office said the chance of a hot summer is 2.3 times more likely than normal[/caption]

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