Issued: 0530hrs Friday 9th July 2021
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Summer sunshine across the Mediterranean

Friday
Hot across Spain and Portugal with lots of sunshine, reaching 40C in the southwest. A fine day for south and western France, temperatures nudging 30C on the south coast. Hot across Italy, widely into the 30s Celsius. Reaching the upper 30s in Hungary, mainland Greece and the eastern Balkans as high pressure to east draws in a hot southeasterly airflow.
Thunderstorms will affect the Czech Republic, Slovakia and into Poland, some severe storms forming in places. Cooler and showery for Germany, Denmark and the Low Countries. Showers too for northeast France.
Showery in southwest Norway and a few showers around the Baltic, but much of northern Scandinavia will be dry with temperatures into the low 20s.

Saturday
The heatwave continues for Iberia, widespread high temperatures in the south and west are likely to top 40C. Much fresher toward the Biscay coast, nearer 20C. Lots of hot sunshine for the Mediterranean, including Italy and southern France. Thundery showers forming inland for Greece and the southern Balkans.
A period of rain affects northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Patchy rain extends into western Germany also. A few showers for eastern Europe and staying very warm.
An area of low pressure over southern Scandinavia brings rain and some thundery bursts to southern Norway and Sweden, but likely clears from Denmark. Risk of thundery showers in southern Finland. The far north is largely dry.