UK weather: Heatwave on its way for hottest May in 350 years

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After a few weeks of hit and miss weather, the UK is in for a bumper dose of sunshine, as a result of a warm blast sweeping in from Europe.We could, say forecasters, even be in line for the hottest May on record if temperatures soar as expected.Although cooler conditions are predicted for this week, by Saturday forecasters believe temperatures will rise and 29C will be the average for the next two weeks.

Children look over a bridge at Wisley where the highest temperature of the year was recorded as 27.8C

Caroline Spelman: The Environment Secretary will attend a drought summit todayBut while many people will be celebrating the continuous dry weather there are fears over the impact it is having on agriculture and environment.Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman has called for an emergency drought summit due to take place today.So far, May has been 2.6C warmer than average with central England recording 13C - already ranking May inside the top six per cent of hottest months since records began in 1659.Ms Spelman will meet with members of the water industry body Water UK, the National Farmers' Union, the Environment Agency and Natural England.Jonathan Powell, forecaster for Positive Weather Solutions, said: 'This is an astonishing year so far and may well continue to turn up more surprises. May is outperforming expectations, as did March and April.

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'There will be some rain during the rest of May in the north and west, but no nearly enough to stave off drought concerns.'We expect hig! h pressu re to build again during late May and through to the second week of June, with warm temperatures and possible humidityleading to thunderstorms.'

THREE DAY FORECAST

Today: Variable cloud and a few clear spells. There will be rain in most places apart from Wales which will be largely dry apart from northernmost areas. It will be a mild but breezy night.
Tomorrow: Central and northern Scotland will cloud over after a bright start with rain heading northeastwards throug the afternoon. Wales and central England will be cloudy with rain and drizzle. Southern England and East Anglia set to have dry but cloudy weather.
Wednesday: Cloudy over southern England with occasional rain while the rest of England and Wales will brighten up after a cloudy and damp start. Northern Ireland and Scotland will be windy with sunny intervals.Farmers are beginning to feel the strain with food production threatened without much needed rain.Richard Sykes, a farmer from Suffolk, wrote on his NFU blog: 'There is talk in this area of failed spring crops on the lighter land, a worrying lack of grass to feed livestock and an uneasy thought over what to feed the animals next winter if it does not rain soon.'My second wheats, drilled late October, are flagging in the dryness with shallow rooting and a lack of nitrogen making them look more yellow than green. With the winter barley next door already in full ear it makes me wonder when harvest will be.'Parts of southern Britain have already been officially declared to be suffering from drought conditions after the warm April as the heatwave spreads across Europe.

Britain needs rain, however, with many rivers already running low or dry and farmers warning of crop failure

Conditions are similar to those o! f 1976 w hen water had to be rationed and an emergency drought summit has been called for today by Environment Secretary Caroline SpelmanEngland and Wales received the lowest March and April rainfall since 1938 with some regions getting the lowest rain in records dating back more than 100 years.Waterflow in some rivers, including the Exe in south west England and the Ribble in the North West, were similar to those experienced in the drought of 1976.According to the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, 'The primary impacts are on farmers and growers, an increased risk of forest and heath fires and, importantly, on river flows.'The Met Office said: 'Conditions are expected to become mainly fine and settled from Saturday into next week, with an upward trend in temperatures and many areas likely to see warm sunshine.'It looks mainly dry, although isolated heavy showers are possible from time to time. The relatively dry, settled weather shows signs of continuing into June, with daytime and night-time temperatures likely to be above average.'