Met Office experts have predicted their maximum temperatures for the week ahead

The Met Office has shared its official forecast amid some reports the UK could see temperatures of up to 41C. Some outlets have said weather maps have good news for those who like the heat here in the UK, as a heatwave in Europe could soon make its way here.

Parts of Spain have seen sweltering temperatures as high as 44C, with holiday hotspots placed under a “red alert” warning. The country’s weather service has warned of “extreme risk” in recent weeks as the mercury has soared.

Elsewhere Portugal and other European nations have also been feeling the heat, with a significant rise in temperatures. Here in the UK things have been drastically different, with some unsettled weather and highs of around 19-20C in Liverpool.

According to some publications, this could be about to change, with a heatwave on the way. But the Met Office is not quite so optimistic, with its experts predicting maximum highs of 21C in the coming week for Liverpool.

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Today, Thursday, is expected to be a wet day with heavy showers, highs of 21C and lows of 13C. Friday, August 16, will then be much drier with sunny spells and maximum temperatures of 20C. Saturday and Sunday, August 17 and 18, are then set to have similar conditions, with sunny intervals and highs of 19-20C.

Monday, August 19, will be cloudy before “light showers by lunchtime” and Tuesday, August 20, is set to see a mixture of sunshine and cloud. In its long-range UK forecast for the period from Monday, August 19, to Wednesday, August 28, the Met Office said we can expect an “unsettled start to the week” which should then clear, but “with showers in the north west”.

It adds: “The second half of next week is uncertain, influenced to some extent by the remnants of ex-Hurricane Ernesto. The most likely scenario is a period of unsettled weather, especially in the north and west with heavy rain and strong winds possible, while it may be warmer and less-wet towards the southeast.

“By the weekend and the following week, a mobile westerly regime is likely, most of the wet weather in the north and west, and longer drier interludes in the southeast. Temperatures overall will be close to average, but the chance of short-lived very warm conditions in the south and east at times.”