A HEATWAVE alert for Dorset has been upgraded from yellow to amber by the Met Office. 

A 'level-2' alert has been updated to a 'level-3' meaning there is a 90 per cent probability of heatwave conditions for the south west being met from now until 9pm on Tuesday.

Bournemouth Echo:

Picture: The Met Office

The Met Office said: "The alert level has increased for southwest England, as confidence in hot weather and warm nights affecting at least the far east of the region has now increased."

It continued: "Hot or very hot conditions are likely across southern, central, and eastern parts of England from Friday as warm air spreads north from France. These conditions are likely to persist into the weekend, perhaps being eroded from the northwest by less hot and cloudier conditions for a time, with the slight releiving conditions currently probably reaching a southern limit over central parts of England.

"Hot or very hot conditions may then extend further northwest again early next week, but with an increasing risk of some heavy and thundery showers developing that will add significant uncertainty and limit the range to which this alert can be issued."

The amber alert - meaning heatwave action - is triggered when the Met Office confirms threshold temperatures for one of more regions have been reached for one day and the following night, and the forecast for the next day has a greater than 90 per cent confidence level that the day threshold temperature will be met.

This stage requires social and healthcare services to target specific actions at high-risk groups.

According to the Met Office forecast, Friday will see highs of 27c with temperatures set to reach 30C on Saturday with 28C forecast on Sunday.

The hot weather is set to continue into next week with 27C forecast for Monday and 26C on Tuesday. UV Levels will be high.

However, deputy chief meteorologist David Oliver said the high temperatures could trigger some thunderstorms across parts of the UK by the beginning of next week.

Posting on Twitter this morning, Wimborne-based weather forecaster WessexWeather said: “Surprisingly widespread but welcome drizzle this morning should clear later, heralding several days of hot, sunny weather. However it could start to turn thundery from Sunday into next week, but remaining warm.”

Bournemouth and Poole Weather said: “From what I see this morning I think the weekend looks warmer than tomorrow here, could be very humid with light easterly flow suppressing sea breezes and temps more widely into the 30s and those temps right down the beaches, so little relief there.

“Lots of questions over next week currently, but hot and thundery certainly through the early part of the week again with temps in the high 20s or low 30s possible. A very interesting period of weather coming up.”

The highest temperature reached so far this year is 37.8C, recorded at Heathrow on July 31.