Britain could enjoy the hottest summer in 12 years, with the sun expected to last until August.
Forecasters have predicted temperatures to peak at 33C in July but with very warm or hot spells expected throughout June, July and August.
There will still be some changeable weather, with some showery interludes expected, but forecasters agree that the summer months will be hotter than average, following the hottest May on record.
According to the Met Office’s three-month outlook, “more settled and drier weather” is expected and that temperatures are likely to be warmer than average overall with a possibility of some very warm or even hot spells.
The Met Office said: “For June-August, above-average temperatures are more likely than below-average temperatures. The probability the UK average temperature for June-August will fall into the warmest of our five categories is 40%.
“The likelihood of above-average temperatures is greater than usual. The Met Office long-range prediction system shows a slightly increased chance of high pressure patterns across the UK.”
The Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze told the Mirror: “The warmest summer since 2006 is a possibility, after recent years saw a series of disappointing summers.
“June to August only needs to be 1C above average for it to happen.”
Leon Brown, the head of meteorological operations at The Weather Channel, owned by The Weather Company, was more optimistic and said: “33C is expected by early July.”
Last month was the warmest May on record, with an average daytime maximum temperature of 17C (62.6F) and a total of 245.3 hours of sunshine were measured across the country, more than in any May since records began in 1929.