Issued: 0530hrs Wednesday 8th August 2018
Duty forecaster: David Hulse

Still some hot weather but becoming cooler and fresher in some northern and western parts


Wednesday
Much of Portugal, Spain and the Balearics dry and sunny but with rain, possibly thundery later, in the north and east. Temperatures widely near to 30C, locally the mid to high 30s for central and southern parts. noticeably cooler and fresher around coasts in the north and west, though.
Sunshine for Corsica, Sardinia and Italy will be interrupted by showers and thunderstorms but it will stay mostly dry over into the Adriatic and Croatia. Temperatures again up to around 30C and locally nearer to 35C. Dry and sunny across Greece but with a risk of isolated thunderstorms in Turkey, where temperatures may exceed 40C in some spots.
Across the Alps into Austria the risk of thunderstorms but further east and south, toward central and southeastern parts of Europe, including the Balkans it will be mostly dry with sunny spells; very warm or hot.
Mostly dry for Northern France and the Low Countries with spells of sunshine developing and temperatures of 20 to 23C but thunderstorms are likely in southern and eastern parts with temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s.
Thunderstorms develop across Germany too where it will be hot with temperatures 30 to 35C, locally a degree or two higher but Poland will be largely dry with sunny spells. Rain, locally thundery, moves north across Norway and later into Northern Sweden and Finland but Southern Scandinavia and the Baltic States will be drier with more isolated showers. Temperatures near 30C at best in the south, low to mid 20s in the north.

Thursday
Much of Portugal, Spain and the Balearics dry and sunny again but with some rain or showers in the north and east, possibly drifting into the Balearics later. Cooler and fresher in the north and west but still very warm in the south with temperatures in the mid to low 30s.
Sunny spells for Corsica, Sardinia and Italy with any showers lighter and dying out, whilst it will stay mostly dry over into the Adriatic and Croatia. Temperatures again up to around 30C and locally exceeding 35C in Italy. Isolated showers in the north and east of Greece and Turkey but largely dry; temperatures above 35C in Southern Turkey.
Thunderstorms again break out over Switzerland, possibly into the west of Austria but staying mostly dry with sunny spells further east and south, toward central and southeastern parts of Europe; temperatures into the low 30s.
A large area of heavy rain and thunderstorms over the north and west of France will move steadily northeast and on into Low Countries. Temperatures in the low 30s across Eastern France, otherwise cooler and fresher. Thunderstorms develop in the north and west of Germany and Poland but many parts stay dry with sunshine, temperatures again 30 to 35C.
Showers at first over Northern Scandinavia but then heavy, thundery rain reaches Denmark, Southern Norway and Sweden overnight. Light showers for Finland but the Baltic States stay mostly dry. Temperatures into the low to mid 20s generally but hotter for Southern Sweden and Finland.