Issued: 0530hrs Friday 20th July 2018
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Heat and thunder in Scandinavia; unsettled eastern Europe

Friday
Scattered thunderstorms for northern Spain and Portugal, but southern Iberia will be sunny and very warm, 32 to 35C or higher. Hot too for southern France, but thunderstorms will break out widely for central France and the Alps. Lots of hot sunshine for the Mediterranean, including Italy and Greece , with temperatures soaring into the mid-high 30s Celsius.
Dry and warm for Germany, the Czech Republic and western Poland, 25 to 30C. Low pressure over eastern Europe produces unsettled conditions, with outbreaks of rain and possible thunder for eastern Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus and western Russia. Isolated thunderstorms possible over the mountains of Scandinavia, but the heatwave continues for northern Europe, 27 to 30C or above for Finland and Sweden.

Saturday
Much of Spain and Portugal stay hot and dry. Isolated thundery showers toward the north of Spain. Zones of thunderstorms for southern and eastern France, plus the Alps. Central-western France should escape largely dry. Some thundery rain for southern Germany. The Mediterranean and surrounding countries stay hot and sunny.
Generally dry for northern-central Europe. Poland and the Baltic states should be dry as showery rain clears away further east into Russia. Scattered showers for Romania and Ukraine. Possible thunder for the mountains of northern Norway and Sweden. Thundery too for Finland, and staying hot.