UK temperatures to drop after heatwave before 30C heat returns next week
The heatwave sweeping Britain is expected to calm down this weekend, before temperatures rise back to 30°C next week.
The Met Office said a northerly wind will develop this weekend, along with high pressure over the west of England, causing temperatures to drop, while parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England will be significantly colder.
Maximum temperatures in northern Scotland will be 7 degrees lower on Saturday than on Thursday, bringing an end to the heatwave in the region.
Temperatures in north-west England will also fall by around 5 degrees from Thursday’s high and fall into the low 20s on Saturday.
The Midlands, Wales and southern England will also experience some relief, although parts of these regions will remain above the heatwave threshold, where maximum temperatures will range widely between 25-27C, but cooler nights will return.
But the Met Office said weather would continue to be warmer than average across much of the UK, including southern England, where the heatwave threshold was met or exceeded for 12 consecutive days.
The news comes after the Met Office’s climate report revealed that the hottest day of the year in the south of England was 4.5 degrees warmer than in 1961-1990.
There’s still no sign of serious rain on the horizon as high pressure continues near the UK into next week.
Places in south-east England, including Wisley, Surrey and Herstmonceux, East Sussex, now appear to have been rain-free for almost 30 days.
Many other places in the east of England and the West Midlands experienced power cuts for more than 20 days.
These dry conditions resulted in a cyclone ban on more than eight million households in England.
However, the cold weather is not expected to continue; Temperatures are expected to recover quickly after the weekend and further drought is expected.
Temperatures are predicted to hover around 23C in Scotland and Northern Ireland, while temperatures may rise again to 30C in Southern England.
For parts of England and Wales this means the heatwave will continue into its third week.
It marks the latest challenge in the UK’s struggle to deal with the effects of human-caused climate change, with the Met Office warning that “climate extremes are becoming the new normal”.
