Ipswich could be one of the hottest places in the UK on May 20, with long-range weather maps showing the Suffolk town reaching 23C as a mini-heatwave sweeps parts of the country. The forecast from WXCharts puts Ipswich among the second-hottest major UK towns or cities, behind London and Cambridge, which are both shown at 26C.
That would make for a sharp burst of warmth in a month when many people would not expect it. A mini-heatwave is generally used to describe temperatures above 20C, especially when they arrive at an unusual time of year, and some locations are expected to climb to 26C or even higher on May 20.
Southampton and Brighton are also forecast to reach 23C, putting them in the same bracket as Ipswich on the maps. For people in Suffolk, though, the warmer spell may be brief. The Met Office’s long-range forecast for May 13 to 22 points the other way, saying many places are likely to see periods of rain or showers, some of them heavy, along with some drier interludes.
The national forecaster also says temperatures are likely to be close to or perhaps a little below normal for most of that stretch, which would leave Suffolk without the sustained hot weather suggested by the long-range model. That is the gap in the outlook: one forecast sees a brief May heat spike, while another says the broader pattern still looks unsettled and cooler than the heat-map headlines imply.
WXCharts issued the long-range forecast showing high temperatures for parts of the UK later in May, but the Met Office assessment is less optimistic about lasting warmth in Suffolk. For Ipswich, the main question is not whether one hot afternoon is possible, but whether the rain, showers and near-normal temperatures will arrive first and keep the mini-heatwave from taking hold.
