Met Office forecasts warmer weather to return in August with an 'African plume' set to bake Portsmouth and the south east

Weather forecasters are predicting ‘very warm conditions’ could return to the city and the south easy across the final two weeks of August.

But first the weather is set to be dominated by unsettled, changeable conditions, with long spells of rain and some thunderstorms with torrential downpours.

The weather across Portsmouth is set to be mostly overcast across the coming week, with showers from Thursday to Sunday, and temperatures reaching highs of 19C tomorrow.

Looking beyond August 16, Met Office forecasters are seeing signs that the weather could brighten and temperatures could soar – but confidence about the predictions remain ‘low’ at present, according to a statement on the Met Office website.

The statement added: ‘Whilst there are current signals of a drier and warmer than average period from the middle of August, occasional spells of more unsettled weather, primarily in the northwest, remains possible.

‘Accompanying this is a low risk of short-lived thundery spells, these mainly in southeastern parts.

‘Confidence through this period remains low at present. However, most should see dry and fine weather.

‘Above average temperatures continue to be indicated through the remainder of August, with possibly even very warm conditions at times in southern areas.’

The Met Office has issued several weather warnings for Portsmouth and Hampshire over the last fortnight.

Torrential downpours repeatedly flooded roads across the city last week, leaving some residents facing foul water overflowing from sewage drains.

The heavy rains were followed by Storm Evert, which lashed the south of the country with winds reaching up to 60 miles per hour.

The wet and windy weather broke a two-week heatwave that saw the Met Office issue its first ever ‘extreme heat warning’, as Portsmouth baked in a 29C heat that made the city hotter than Mumbai and Mexico City.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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