Much of the UK will be in heatwave conditions by the coming weekend says the Met Office as heat is set to build throughout the week.

On Wednesday the highest temperatures values in the UK are expected to be around 27ºC.

On Thursday this will rise to 29ºC and by Saturday increasing more locations will exceed heatwave values, with the highest temperatures expected to exceed 30ºC.

In west Wales however, Aberystwyth is set to see temperatures of around 26ºC but it will remain dry and mainly sunny.

Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.

In Aberystwyth and across Wales, the threshold is 25ºC.

The Met Office is forecasting 26ºC on Thursday and Friday in Aberystwyth and 25ºC, which may see us in heatwave conditions.

Matthew Lehnert is a Met Office Chief Meteorologist. He said: “An area of high pressure over southern England will build across a larger part of the UK through midweek.

"Ahead of this, wet and windy weather will affect the far northwest later today and into Tuesday morning."

Tony Wisson is a Deputy Chief Meteorologist. He said: “The rising temperatures this week are a combination of several factors. Over the next few days, settled weather and warm sunshine will allow temperatures to rise day on day. Temperatures will then rise further towards the end of the week as winds turn more southerly and even warmer air over continental Europe will be drawn across the UK. We could very well see several places exceeding 30ºC, which will be the highest temperatures of the year so far.”

High pressure is expected to move away from the UK into early next week resulting in temperatures falling. However, there is uncertainty in how quickly this happens, and the peak temperatures experienced across the UK.

Tony Wisson added: “Temperatures are likely to peak in the low 30s Celsius this weekend before easing sometime early week. Some forecast models even allow temperatures to rise into the mid 30s of Celsius by Monday. While this is feasible, it is considered a lower-likelihood scenario.”