Large swathes of the UK have met heatwave criteria as the widely hot, dry, and sunny weather continues today and into the weekend.

With high pressure continuing in charge, temperatures are expected to peak at 33°C, with Aberystwyth set to see 30°C on Saturday and Sunday, with Lampeter and Porthmadog forecast for 31°C tomorrow.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “The current heatwave is more widespread than previous heatwaves this summer.

"Temperatures are likely to locally approach 30°C tomorrow (Saturday) away from eastern coasts.

“Very warm nights are likely, especially for some western parts of the UK. In addition to the usual urban locations some of the the warmest temperatures are expected to the lee of, and over, high ground in the west, with parts of western Wales, southwest and northwest England and western Scotland locally seeing overnight lows holding up into the high teens or even low twenties.

“Sunday looks like being a little cooler than Saturday, but 30°C is still likely across central and southern parts of England and eastern Wales, with locally 31°C possible. For updates on the latest information, keep an eye on the Met Office forecast as the picture develops.”

However, there will be a respite from the heat come the start of next week.

The Met Office says: "A change in the weather is on the cards early next week.

"Monday will see showers developing across many parts of the UK, some of which could be heavy and thundery.

"This will herald the arrival of fresher, cooler conditions from the west, whilst some eastern areas will remain very warm with temperatures in the high twenties, the rest of the UK will see the peak of daytime temperatures on Monday several degrees lower than on previous days.

"Cooler, more changeable weather will spread across the whole of the UK by midweek."

The RNLI in Ceredigion is urging people to take care when visiting beaches this weekend.

Sam Trevor, RNLI Lead Lifeguard Supervisor for Ceredigion says: ‘With warm weather predicted over the coming days, we’d advise anyone visiting the coast to choose a lifeguarded beach. Remember to swim and bodyboard between the red and yellow flags, and surf, kayak or stand-up paddleboard between the black and white flags.

“The lifeguards position the flags in the safest area of the beach, if you see a red flag the lifeguards have deemed that area of the beach as unsafe – so do not enter the water.

“If you ever have any questions, feel free to approach the lifeguards who will be happy to help and can provide local beach safety advice for the conditions that day.”

In Ceredigion, Borth and Llangrannog are patrolled full time, whilst the other beaches in the county such as, Aberystwyth South, Tresaith and Aberporth will be patrolled on weekends only up until 19 July when they go live full time until 31 August.

Chris Cousens RNLI Water Safety Lead said: “f you’re visiting the coast, remember to visit a lifeguarded beach. It's safest not to go into the water alone - the person you're with can help you stay safe and get help in the event of an emergency.

“If you unexpectedly find yourself in difficulty in the water, float to live. If you see anyone else in difficulty anywhere along the coast, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.”

The RNLI’s advice for anyone struggling in the water is ‘Float to Live’:

· Tilt your head back, with your ears submerged

· Relax and try to breathe normally

· Move your hands and feet to help you stay afloat

· It’s fine if your legs sink, we all float differently.

High tide is expected in Aberystwyth at 9.25pm on Friday evening, with Saturday’s high tides being at 9.44am and 10.02pm.

High Tide at Aberporth will be at 9.09pm tonight and 9.27am and 9.45pm on Saturday.

Further north, Pwllheli will see high tide at 9.32pm tonight and 9.49am and 10.07pm on Saturday.

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