Issued: 0530hrs Tuesday 22nd July 2008
Duty forecaster: John Ejdowski

Fine through the Mediterranean

Today
Much warmer across the United Kingdom with low cloud breaking to sunshine. Fine and warm too across Belgium. Still unsettled across Germany with outbreaks of rain and showers though it turns dry and sunnier in the west in the afternoon. Fine and sunny today across the Netherlands and Denmark and it will be dry across Norway and northern Sweden with some heavy showers in the south. Cloudier across Finland with outbreaks of rain and this extends south across the Baltic States.
A dry, summer's day across Russia today. A belt of heavy showers will affect Belarus and the Ukraine through the day with an area of heavy, thundery rain moving into Romania, the former Yugoslavia and Bulgaria as it clears the former Czech Republic. Continued very hot and sunny across Portugal and Spain with temperatures over 40C in the south west. Sunny weather also prevails across the Balearics into Italy though a few showers may affect the far south. Very warm and sunny weather will prevail across Turkey, Hungary and Greece. Highs will be around 25C in London, 24C for Brussels, 25C for Paris, 38C for Madrid, 29C in Rome, 31C in Bucharest, 34C in Athens, 21C in Warsaw and 24C for Stockholm.

Wednesday
Very warm to hot weather and sunny weather will prevail across the United Kingdom, Belgium into France and Spain. High pressure will also keep it settled and sunny across central and southern Germany into Denmark and the Netherlands too.
An area of locally heavy and perhaps thundery rain is expected across Belarus, southern Poland into the former Czech Republic and the far south of Germany and the Alpine Region. Much drier and warmer today across Scandinavia with most places fine and sunny though a few showers will affect western Norway. Fine and dry as well across the Baltic States and northern Poland. Just a few showers across western Russia otherwise settled and dry. Lots of heavy showers and thunderstorms will affect Romania, Hungary and the former Yugoslavia. Warm across Italy and sunny but a few showers are likely in the afternoon in central areas while Greece and Turkey along with Cyprus remain sunny and very warm.