Our stuttering summer continues – definitely an improvement of sorts this week, though more cloud and a bit of rain at first – warmer and sunnier by for the end of the week.

The overall picture remains one of the Azores High trying to build from the south-west but the jetstream relatively close to our north (though meandering plenty), which is bringing occasional weather fronts and varying temperatures.

Thanks to Jo for the adorning photograph.

This evening will be cloudy with some showery rain – a few heavy, perhaps very heavy bursts mixed in later, though some places just seeing light/moderate rain only. Rain becoming generally more light and patchy after midnight. Around 14’C.

Tuesday will be rather cloudy, but there will be some sunshine at times. Likely to start overcast with the odd spot of rain, and a light shower is possible at any time during the day, though it will be mostly dry. A north-westerly breeze, around 21’C. Fairly cloudy overnight, 12’C.

Wednesday starts quite cloudy but with a bit of sunshine, it will quickly become overcast and stay like that all day. A bit of occasional light rain in the mix too. 19’C. Variable cloud overnight, 14’C.

Thursday starts to see an improvement as the Azores High makes a more substantial build over the south of the UK.

However there will still be more cloud than sunshine. Starting rather bright, likely becoming mostly cloudy, but then a bit more brightness as the afternoon goes on. Warm, around 23’C. Clear spells overnight, 15’C.

Friday sees further improvements (assuming you like sunshine/warmth), still quite a lot of fair weather cloud around especially around the lunchtime period, but there will be more sunshine than of late, and temperatures getting to the quite hot range, say 26’C, perhaps more. Clear spells overnight, 13’C.

Saturday looks like a fairly weak weather front is going to slowly push down from the north-west, but timing is uncertain. Before it arrives potentially warm and sunny (unless it arrived early morning!), fresher and sunny once it has cleared – and cloudy with bits of showery rain for the spell where it is overhead. Feasibly it could arrive any time from early morning, up to evening. There is even a small chance that it may not arrive and we hang onto the quite hot conditions.

Sunday should therefore be sunny and fresher, with fair-weather cloud and temperatures around 22’C. This does assume on the weather front having crossed during Saturday.

Next week should see yet another attempt at the Azores High to build over the UK! Expect more warmth and sunshine, but don’t expect perfection – there will likely be further interruptions from weak weather fronts.

Hints of something more broadly unsettled around next weekend – though that is some way off, and has little confidence at this stage.

For the very end of July and first part of August, we should go back to a similar pattern to now, generally settled but some cloudier days, occasional weak weather fronts, but often sunny and warm.