Scorchio! Friday is set to be the hottest day of the year!

Research shows that Friday 15 July is set to be the hottest day of the year, so get planning that BBQ party now!

The weathermen have spoken: this summer is set to be our hottest for a hundred years. And yes, we know they sometimes get it wrong, but this time it might just be true… apparently a blistering ‘heat surge’ will be winging its way over from the continent to bring us heatwaves and scorching sunshine..

With National BBQ week upon us, the nation is starting to plan their summer parties and alfresco celebrations. But choosing the date to hold these is a risky business our unpredictable British summers. Therefore, outdoor heating specialists Glowing Embers has pinpointed what day of the year is statistically the hottest; after going back through 30 years of average temperatures, they’ve found it’s a sizzling 28C on the 15th of July, which this year falls on a Friday – perfect for holding a party on your decking, heading to the nearest rooftop bar, or preparing an almighty barbecue in your back garden, without worrying about having to get up for work the next morning. Sweet!

Regionally, the date on which the hottest day of the year falls, and the actual mercury reading you’ll get, varies slightly around the UK. Those lucky Londoners in the South East will bask in 31oC, on their hottest day (17th July), while those in the East of the country come a close second, experiencing 29oC (on the 22nd of July). Northern Ireland-ers are positively shivering with in the 25oC heat on July 12th, in comparison!

Glowing Embers also surveyed 1,000 men and women to find out how optimistic we Brits really are about the weather; and, perhaps unsurprisingly, 60.8% of us said we didn’t believe there was going to be good summer weather ahead. We’ve basically been let down far too many times; who amongst us hasn’t shivered their way through a clouded-over BBQ, which started off with blue skies but ended in rain (and tears)?

And, strangely, it seems we’re actually content with not being like the continent; when asked if we wanted our summers to be hotter, over two thirds of us said ‘no’! Considering the number of people who come into the office after a sunny weekend with sunburn and heatstroke, it seems we just don’t know how to handle it. Those from the frozen north, however (well, Northern Ireland and Scotland), who see far less sun every year, were understandably a bit keener to have a hotter summer; nearly 50% of Scots, and 54.5% of Northern Irish, said they’d prefer it.

‘If there’s one thing we can rely on,’ says Richard Fewings from Glowing Embers, ‘is that we can never really rely on the weather! But we’re going to keep everything crossed that this year, we do have a Great British Summer.’ And if not, you can always keep your outdoor spaces warm in other ways, with patio heaters, or a cosy chimenea, from Glowing Embers. Huddling around a fire pit does have its own special charm, after all! And best of all, you won’t get sunstroke…