It must be St Swithin’s Day! Hot spell with highs of 86F could last until August after 69F and no rain today… with folklore predicting weather on July 15 will continue for 40 days

• Britain could be on course for a heatwave lasting until August thanks to 80F sunshine on St Swithin’s Day
• Met Office meterologists are forecasting settled, hot weather in parts of the UK until first week of August
• According to folklore, however the weather on St Swithin’s Day is will be the same for the next 40 days 

Britain could be on course for a heatwave lasting until August thanks to 80F sunshine in parts of the UK on St Swithin’s Day today as the Met Office forecasts hotter weather than in Ibiza. 

Met Office meterologists are forecasting settled, hot weather in parts of the country until at least the first week of August as the jet stream which caused ‘biblical’ floods in London moves northwards.

According to folklore, however the weather on St Swithin’s Day is will be the same for the next 40 days – so if it rains today, we can all expect more downpours. But if it is sunny today, as the Met Office is forecasting, then we can keep our fingers crossed for a month of glorious sunshine. 

On Saturday, temperatures are set to soar to 82F in London and 80F in Leeds, with forecasters warning those with hayfever that the pollen count is set to be ‘high or even very high’ at the weekend.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge told MailOnline: ‘The weather outlook for the next ten days or so is promising with indications of fine, settled weather. The bulk of the UK should have a good deal of fine and dry weather at least for the next month, albeit with a risk of heavier showers and occasional thunderstorms. 

People enjoy the summer weather on the beach in Bournemouth as the UK braces for a period of glorious sunshine

Met Office meterologists are forecasting settled, hot weather in parts of the country until at least the first week of August as the jet stream which caused ‘biblical’ floods in London moves northwards 

The legend says whatever the weather on St Swithin’s Day, it will continue for the next 40 days. 

The rhyme goes: 

St Swithin’s Day if thou dost rain,

For 40 days it will remain,

St Swithin’s Day if thou be fair,

For 40 days will rain na mair

‘Large parts of the UK are beginning to move into heatwave territory for the next few days.’ 

St Swithin, the bishop of Winchester from 852 to 862, requested that he be buried in the churchyard after his death, so that passers-by could step over his grave and that it may be exposed to the elements.

But according to legend, his tomb was moved inside on July 15, 971, and shortly afterwards a huge storm hit and it rained for many weeks after. People at the time are said to have taken that as a sign of the saint’s displeasure at his wishes being ignored.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica: ‘The first textual evidence for the weather prophecy appears to have come from a 13th or 14th century entry in a manuscript at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Since then, folklore has said that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day it will continue to do so for the next 40 days – while if it is sunny, the sun will shine for 40 days straight.

Yet despite its enduring popularity, there does not appear to be any scientific evidence to support the idea that St Swithin’s Day is a reliable indicator of 40 days of summer weather.

In fact, the Met Office has previously trawled back through its archives to confirm that there has never been a period 40 dry or 40 wet days in a row following St Swithin’s Day since records began in 1861. 

Vets Now, the UK’s leading provider of pet emergency veterinary care, has warned that as temperatures increase that dog owners should be careful of the risks of their canines getting heat stroke.

The vets service sees a spike in call outs as the weather warms up and has warned that temperatures above 68F put dogs at risk and say that survival rates for dogs with heat stroke is just 50 per cent.

Heat stroke can turn fatal in a few as 15 minutes and it only takes a 2C temperature change to kick in.

Dave Leicester, head of telehealth at Vets Now, said: ‘All dogs can overheat if left without water or in hot conditions for too long. So on hotter summer days it’s best to walk your dog in the morning or evening when it’s cooler.’

Forecaster Clare Nasir said: ‘Into the weekend the temperatures will build and we’ll see some strong sunshine, temperatures come Sunday could peak at around 30C (86F)’ – which is set to be hotter than Ibiza this weekend.

Alex Burkill, another meteorologist at the Met Office, said: ‘As we head through the very end of the month and into August we should see more fine, sunny weather around, and it will be drier than average conditions. I think we’re in for a warmer and more settled spell that will last a few weeks.’

Mr Burkill added that areas seeing temperatures within the Met Office’s definition of a heatwave include parts of south-west England, South Wales, parts of the Midlands and Yorkshire. 

Highs of 80.6F (27C) are expected in the south of the UK by Sunday, with the whole week bringing scorching weather

Pictured: Watersport enthusiasts soak up the sun while taking a dip at the beach resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset

Families and sunbathers flock to the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on an afternoon of scorching hot sunshine

The beach is packed as families and sunbathers flock to the seaside resort in Dorset on a day of scorching hot sunshine

Umbrellas and tents were out to shield beachgoers from the hot sun, as Briton braces for a heatwave

Britons can expect to enjoy warm and dry weather from Friday (left) with temperatures soaring on Sunday (right)

Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon told the Mirror: ‘As far as I can say so far, temperatures staying over the weekend and there’s a chance for 87F on Sunday in the south and south-east in isolated spots. 

‘On the Monday the conditions look fairly good and again, highs of 86F in some southern areas.’

Into next week, the Met Office says the weather will continue to be influenced by high pressure moving across the UK so the dry and sunny weather is set to continue. 

The Met Office has shared how to determine whether warm weather reaches the definition of a heatwave. 

In the UK, each part of the country has certain thresholds that must be met for a period of three days or more for it to be considered a heatwave, with the higher thresholds in the southern parts of the country with the highest threshold being in London at 82F. 

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