Issued: 0530hrs Saturday 13th August 2016
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Heat building across France

Saturday
Slack high pressure across the continent, bringing extensive fair weather. Another hot day for Spain and Portugal, highs 33 to 38C. Breezy around Gibraltar. Light winds for the western Mediterranean and Italy, with plenty of warm sunshine, 30 to 33C. Breezy for Greece and the Greek Islands. Showers for Turkey. Isolated showers possible over the Alps.
Dry across France, where temperatures will become very warm or hot, 32 to 35C, warmest in the south-west. Fresher for the Low Countries & Germany, around 22 to 25C. Mainly dry for eastern Europe. Cloudy with light rain possible in Poland.
Low pressure over Scandinavia brings unsettled and windy conditions to Denmark and the Baltic. Showers or longer spells of rain for Norway & Sweden, temperatures 18 to 22C. Persistent heavy rain pushes north across Finland. The far north of Scandinavia may escape drier with sunny spells, although rather cool.

Sunday
High pressure builds across north-western Europe, and hot air will be drawn northwards from Iberia across France. Temperatures reaching 34 to 38C for central Spain & Portugal, also south-western France. Nearer 26 to 30C in northern-central France. Dry weather extends across western Europe, with plenty of sunshine.
Risk of thundery showers breaking out by afternoon across Alpine areas. Dry and sunny weather extends across Italy, the Mediterranean and Greece . Very warm for south-eastern Europe, topping 30C in Hungary and Romania.
Fresher air remains in place across north-eastern Europe, nearer 21 to 24C for Germany, Poland and the Baltic states, risk of scattered showers. Low pressure centred over Finland brings slow-moving showers. Fewer showers and sunny spells for Norway and Sweden, 18 to 20C in the south. Feeling cool in the far north with a northerly breeze.