A heatwave is due to hit parts of the UK this week - although Scotland will miss out on the hottest temperatures.

The mercury is expected to hit 34C (95F) in London on Wednesday as Downing Street prepares for the arrival of a new prime minister.

Sunshine is forecast for Glasgow and Edinburgh on Tuesday, with peak temperatures of 24C in both cities.

The rest of the week is predicted to remain warm but cloudy across the Central Belt.

READ MORE: Dream job as Raasay seeks to recruit first resident nurse in a decade for island 

Temperatures will reach 28C (82F) in southern England today and increase as the week progresses, according to forecasters, reaching highs of 33C (91F) on Tuesday, 34C (93F) on Wednesday and 35C (95C) on Thursday.

Some forecasters are even suggesting temperatures could rocket to 39C in the south of England, which would break records for July.

"As we head through the week, the rain will generally begin to ease across northern areas, so the potential is for much of the UK to see some hot conditions," the Met Office spokesman said.

"There will be some sunshine around during the week, but also the risk of some heavy thundery downpours as well."

For the majority of the UK, the mercury needs to hit 25C for three consecutive days to be classed as a heatwave.

READ MORE: The globe-trotting piper - from Bhutan to the Vatican 

This threshold increases the further south east in the country, with temperatures in London needing to reach 27C.

The maximum temperature recorded in July is 36.7C (98F), on the first day of the month in 2015 at Heathrow.

READ MORE: Seagull snatches pet chihuahua from garden 

Looking ahead to next weekend, the Met Office expects temperatures to fall.

"There's some uncertainty though on just how long the heatwave conditions will last for," the forecaster said.

"It looks most likely that, at least by Saturday, most areas will see a bit of a drop in temperatures.

"There's still a lot of sunshine around for the weekend and temperatures probably look to be not quite as hot, but with a summery feel staying for the weekend."