Record-challenging heat will spread across western Europe from the end of this week, prompting the UK Met Office to issue an early warning for adverse health effects from extreme heat.

While hot and sunny weather is common in Europe during July, a pool of exceptionally hot air may challenge records in some countries later this week and early next week.

Heat will build over the Iberian Peninsula during the next few days under the influence of an upper-level ridge.

According to the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere, the IPMA, temperatures are forecast to reach 46 to 47ºC in some central parts of Portugal on Wednesday and Thursday. This is not far off the country’s maximum temperature record of 47.3ºC from Amareleja on August 1, 2003.

Spain’s State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, anticipates that temperatures could rise to 43 or 44ºC in some parts of the country on Wednesday and Thursday. This is a few degrees below its national temperature record.

Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Thursday, July 14, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

After scorching the Iberian Peninsula on Wednesday and Thursday, this pool of hot air will spread further north as southerly winds pick up ahead of an approaching low pressure system.

Temperatures are likely to hit the high-thirties in parts of southern and western France during the middle of this week, before possibly exceeding 40ºC in some parts of the country from the weekend.

According to a special bulletin released by France’s national meteorological agency, Météo-France, “From Saturday, temperatures begin to rise in the north of the country, and the whole territory could experience scorching temperatures from Sunday. The temporal evolution, the extent, the intensity and the duration of this episode will be refined progressively in the next bulletins.”

The United Kingdom will also endure a surge of exceptionally warm air by their standards later this week and early next week.

Image: Forecast maximum temperature on Monday, July 18, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

The UK Met Office has already issued an Extreme Heat Alert for Sunday, July 17 and this warning is likely to soon be extended into Monday. It is very unusual for the Met Office to issue Extreme Heat Warnings six days out, which speaks to the severity and potential dangers involved with this event.

There is a chance that both maximum and minimum temperatures could be challenged in the UK from Sunday into Monday.

High pressure is settling over the UK next weekend, however low pressure in the Atlantic could bring even warmer winds from the south, raising temperatures further. An Extreme Heat Warning has been issued for Sunday - Alex explains what that could mean for you below 👇 pic.twitter.com/47k7z8C0rD

— Met Office (@metoffice) July 11, 2022

Weatherzone will continue to bring you updates as this potentially historic heatwave unfolds in western Europe.