THE UK is basking in an official mini heatwave - but residents in Dorset are being warned that it will be cut short for the county with heavy showers due to arrive on Wednesday.

This summer may not have been up to the usual standards of previous seasons - weather wise - but the county was able to enjoy some unexpected late summer sunshine over the weekend.

It’s going to be very warm for this time of year tomorrow, with parts of Dorset seeing highs of up to 27 degrees and it could even be rather uncomfortable for people trying to sleep at night, with temperatures remaining at around 17 degrees in the evening.

Areas seeing the the hottest temperatures across the county include Blandford Forum, Bridport, Beaminster, Sherborne, Gillingham and Shaftesbury.

Parts of the UK are set to see an “official” heatwave, with temperatures hitting almost 30 degrees in some places tomorrow, forecasters have said.

A location meets the UK heatwave threshold when it records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperature levels which vary across the country and the Met Office said people in some areas will bask in sweltering heat and sunshine from Monday to Wednesday this week.

However, although it will be sunny for many on Wednesday across the UK, heavy showers are predicted to arrive from the southwest, hitting much of Dorset first, before hitting the rest of the country on Thursday as thunderstorms are expected in the second half of the week to conclude the hot spell.

A Met Office forecaster Annie Shuttleworth said there was a “decent chance” of an official heatwave for parts of central England and eastern Wales, where the temperature threshold needed over three days is 25 degrees.

However, she warned of an area of low pressure moving in from the west on Wednesday afternoon, bringing with it grey and wet conditions for much of the UK on Thursday.

Forecasters have said that during the coming weekend the bulk of the UK is likely to turn more unsettled with a likelihood of showers at times, and these could turn heavy or thundery in places with a risk of localised torrential downpours.

They have predicted that the unsettled weather will continue throughout mid-September, but that temperatures are likely to be above average throughout.