Issued: 0530hrs Wednesday 20th July 2022
Duty forecaster: Garry Nicholson

Extensive heat for east and southern Europe

Wednesday
Hot and dry right across the Mediterranean through midweek with plenty of sunshine and high temepratures well into the 40s for many.
Heavy and thundery rain pushes eastwards across France with western areas clearing later in the day. Heavy rain moving in to western areas of Switzerland too as well as Belgium. Some severe thunderstorms are possible later in the day for eastern France and southwest Germany. Elsewhere across Europe it will be dry, sunny and hot.
Dry and sunny across much Sweden and Finland with high heat expected across southern Sweden, warm in the north and across much of Finland. More rain expected across western regions of Norway where the temperatures will be relatively cooler. Dry and hot across the southeast here. Denmark looking particularly hot with highs expected well in the 30s, for some closing in on 40C. The Baltic States also looking dry with lasting sunshine and feeling hot for many too.

Thursday
Hot and sunny weather continues for Spain, Portugal, Italy and across the Mediterranean, with high temperatures once more widespread into the upper 30s. Extensively dry across much of Europe, but scattered thundery downpours are possible for the Alps, whilst a larger cluster of thunderstorms is expected to move across the Low Countries into northern Germany from overnight and into the day, passing eastwards into Poland and Czechia later.
The heat extends across eastern Europe and around the Baltic again too, where southern Sweden is likely see highs into the mid-to-high 30s Celsius. Also hot for southern Finland, topping 30C, whilst the north and west of Norway will be much cooler with showers, possibly thundery in the far north. A risk of thunderstorms breaking out for central Sweden and Finland by evening.