The UK is set for a cold blast where temperatures could be down to single figures and 8C lower than normal for the time of the year before a 29C heatwave arrives

Brits are set for more chilly weather with maps showing the temperature 8C lower than average before the mercury rises for a 29C heatwave.

The UK may be in the middle of wet and cool conditions but there could be blue skies ahead with rising temperatures starting in the second half of next week.

There is little sign of summer outside currently and it is due to the jet stream moving across the middle of the country with troughs bringing the low pressure. Over the coming days it is likely to be wet and windy in parts of the north and west of the UK while weather maps from WX Charts for Friday show that the central part of England has temperatures of 8C below the average as the mercury drops to high single figures.

BBC weather forecaster Louise Lear said that there could be some disturbance from rain for people heading to Wimbledon on Friday. "This frontal system is going to slide in through the latter stages of Thursday and into Friday bringing more in the way of cloud, showery rain across southwest England during the early hours of Friday morning pushing towards SW19 for the early morning rush hour," she said.

She added that there could be some sunny weather on Friday with a more optimistic view of the temperatures. "There will be a good deal of dry, sunny weather, really from the M4 corridor south, that is where we will see the rain, a little more cloud," Ms Lear continued. "Generally across England and Wales a good slice of sunshine, a few isolated showers in northwest Scotland but generally those temperatures have not much change ranging from 14C to 20C or 21C if we are lucky."

And for next week the outlook is promising as maps from Netweather indicate that a heatwave will kick off on July 12, with temperatures potentially peaking at 29C around London and the south coast, including Brighton, Chichester, Dover, and Newhaven, on July 15.

Somerset and Dorset could see slightly cooler temperatures between 24C and 26C and cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool may experience highs between 25C and 27C. But in Devon and Cornwall the mercury could be lower between 17C and 21C along the coast.

In Scotland, peak temperatures are expected to also be a bit cooler, ranging from 14C in northern coastal areas to between 22C and 25C in the warmest spots on the east coast. Wales could also see a range of temperatures, from 17C in coastal regions to a high of 26C in the north and south.

The Met Office forecast for July 8 to 17 states: "The unsettled and changeable theme is expected to continue through the majority of this period. Cloud and rain-bearing systems will cross the UK from the west or southwest at times, accompanied by periods of stronger winds, but there are likely to be drier interludes too, with the best of the more settled weather in the east.

"With a generally southerly wind direction, temperatures are expected to rise back to the July norm from the cool beginning to the week, with the potential for wafts of warm continental air to affect the southeast at times. Into the second week, there are tentative signs that conditions could gradually become a bit more settled, though temperatures are likely to remain around average overall."