Met Office forecasts 23C weekend scorcher as maps reveal 39 counties face heat

The Met Office says the mercury could surge to 23C this weekend, with weather maps showing dozens of counties across the UK are set for above average temperatures. The Met Office forecast issued this afternoon said Saturday could bring daytime highs of 23C in southern areas, while temperatures could reach 20C in northern regions. Friday is expected to bring 20C in the south and 17C in the north, it added. However, temperatures are expected to drop off slightly on Sunday. The latest predictions from the Met Office say Brits can expect 19C down south and 15C up north on Sunday. Temperature anomaly maps for Saturday show a significant north-south divide. Areas of orange on the maps show where temperatures are expected to be above the seasonal average, whereas areas of blue show where they will be below. In total, the maps show 39 counties across England and Wales face above average temperatures. Those in Scotland and Northern Ireland are likely set for cooler temperatures. Lancashire Cheshire Yorkshire Shropshire Staffordshire Nottinghamshire Leicestershire Lincolnshire Herefordshire Derbyshire Warwickshire Northamptonshire Norfolk Suffolk Cambridgeshire Gloucestershire Worcestershire Oxfordshire Buckinghamshire Bedfordshire Essex Kent Hertfordshire Surrey Berkshire Hampshire Wiltshire Dorset Somesert Devon Merioneth Montgomeryshire Ceredigion Radnorshire Brecknockshire Monmouthshire Glamorgan Camarthenshire Pembrokeshire In terms of what weather conditions we will see over the weekend, the Met Office expects it to be a mixed bag with both "sunny spells" and thunder. It says: "Changeable into the weekend, with a mix of sunny spells and showers. Showers may become increasingly heavy, with the risk of thunder. Chilly in the north, warm in the south." BBC's weather forecasters predict: "Friday will be unsettled with variable cloud and scattered showers, these turning locally thundery in the south during the afternoon. "On Saturday, showers will continue across the south, but northern areas should become mostly dry with some sunny spells. Sunday may bring rain to far north-western areas and a few showers in far southern England. Otherwise, a dry and settled day." As for tomorrow, the Met Office expects "breezy" conditions across the northwest "with showery outbreaks of rain". It adds: "Drier further south and east, with sunny spells and a few showers. Feeling a little warmer in the south."