Issued: 0530hrs Thursday 23rd August 2018
Duty forecaster: David Hulse

High temperatures maintained in the south and east but becoming cooler and fresher from the northwest for many parts by Friday


Thursday
Fine and sunny in Portugal but scattered thunderstorms break out over Spain and the Balearics, the showers becoming confined to the far north later. Areas of thundery rain around Southwest Italy, Corsica and Sardinia, otherwise only scattered thunderstorms and sunny spells for much of Italy and the Adriatic. Dry and sunny for Greece and Turkey.
Thunderstorms Southern and Central France, also breaking out over Switzerland and Austria. Cloud and rain moving into Northern France and the Low Countries. Thunderstorms break out for a time too in Southern Germany and central / southeastern areas towards the Balkan states but Poland will stay dry and largely sunny.
Unsettled over Scandinavia with rain at times, although the north of Sweden and east of Norway, in particular, will have some dry and brighter weather.
Warmth across Southern and Central Europe, extending north into Southern Scandinavia, temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s, locally exceeding 35C in the south but cooler and fresher in the north and west.

Friday
Still a few showers, chiefly in the far north of Spain but much of Portugal, Spain and the Balearics will remain dry with very warm or hot sunshine. Again, some thundery rain or showers for Southwest Italy, Corsica and Sardinia, otherwise only localized showers and sunny spells for much of Italy and the Adriatic. A good deal of sunshine for Greece and Turkey and mostly dry with only isolated showers in Greece.
Thunderstorms in the southeast of France, with heavy and thundery rain over Switzerland and Austria. Unsettled for Germany and Poland, sunny intervals but also with showers or thundery downpours. Some showers for a time further to the southeast but the Black Sea coast will remain fine.
Very mixed across Scandinavia too with areas of rain or showers circulating around low pressure, this centred near to Western Norway, the rain also extending into the Baltic states.
Cooler, fresher conditions with highs in the low to mid 20s at best sinks further south into some central parts, Southern France and the far north of Spain but high temperatures are maintained in the south and east.