After record-breaking June temperatures and a searing start to July for many in England, it looks as though there will be no return to heatwave conditions in the near future.
Tuesday officially became the hottest day of the year so far – with a temperature of 34.7C (94.4F) recorded in London’s St James’s Park – but the outlook for the start of July is much cooler.
More comfortable temperatures have already set in across the country, with some places more than 10C cooler than they were earlier this week.
Meanwhile, a yellow weather warning for heavy showers and thunderstorms has been issued for part of south-east Scotland and north-east England on Wednesday.
Over the next 10 days, short-lived hot weather spells are expected – but a return to heatwave conditions is not forecast for the first half of this month.
Wednesday’s temperatures will range between 16C to 26C north to south. Tonight will also be cooler, fresher and more comfortable.
Temperatures for much of the next week will be in the mid to high teens in Scotland and Northern Ireland and low to mid-20s in England and Wales.
However, Friday will likely be the warmest day, when we could see 27C or 28C in the far south-east.
After the driest spring on record and a dry start to summer for many, especially in England, there is some rainfall expected over the next five days. The majority will fall in the north-west of the British Isles.
Yorkshire and North-west England are already in drought, and the Environment Agency says two thirds of England’s river flow are currently classed as “below normal or lower for the time of year”.
Eastern Scotland and parts of Wales are also seeing low water levels.
Thursday and Friday will see some outbreaks of rain, mainly in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Temperatures throughout the weekend will be widely unsettled across the UK and showers will be unpredictable.
On Wednesday, the Met Office said that some areas between north of Edinburgh and south of Durham could see 15-20mm of rain in less than an hour leading to some travel disruption and flooding in a few places.
The weather warning runs until 18:00 BST, but strong winds around 40mph may develop as the showers clear, the forecaster said.
It is likely, however, that higher pressure will build again into the second week of July, meaning the chance of rain will be lower.
This week marked the second UK heatwave of 2025. It lasted six days for parts of Yorkshire and the Humber, and five for people in central and eastern England.
An official heatwave is declared when locations reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days.
The thresholds vary from 25C to 28C in different parts of the country.
It was the result of a large area of high pressure getting “stuck” over Europe – dubbed a “heat dome” by some – and high temperatures are becoming increasingly common in the UK.
Scientists have emphasised the role of climate change in these sizzling summers, saying that heatwaves will likely become more frequent and hotter in the future.
