THE weather will be getting hot and humid this weekend, and people are being urged to avoid getting overheated as the temperature rises.

The heat is being blamed on a "Sahara bubble", which is causing a heatwave across parts of central and western Europe.

There is the potential for record breaking heat in France and Spain as temperatures rise into the high 30s and low, perhaps mid 40s Celsius.

This very warm air from Europe will be drawn towards the UK, allowing temperatures to rise into the high 20s, with temperatures reaching at least 30 Celsius in some spots in the southwest on Friday.

By tomorrow (Saturday) however, the focus of the heat will shift away from the west towards eastern and central parts of the UK, where an easterly breeze will limit temperatures this week.

This will mean places like Newcastle, Hull and parts of London could see maximum temperatures jump by as much as 10 degrees between Friday and Saturday.

Steve Willington of the Met Office said: “It’ll be warm with sunny spells across many southwestern and western parts of the UK for the remainder of this week; however an easterly breeze will keep eastern parts of the UK much cooler and, at times, cloudier. On Saturday however, the warmth will spread across eastern parts of the UK with temperatures peaking around 33 to 34 Celsius.”

Among the advice for dealing with the heatwave is: stay out of the sun and don't go out between 11am and 3pm if you are vulnerable to the effects of heat; have cool baths or showers, and splash yourself with cool water; drink plenty of fluids - but avoid excess alcohol.