UK Experiences Fifth Widespread Heatwave of 2026, Cooler Conditions Expected by Weekend

Temperatures are forecast to hit 34C (93F) in parts of south-east England on Friday as the UK's fifth widespread heatwave of the year continues - but it is predicted to be the last day of sweltering temperatures for most people.

Amber heat-health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency remain in force across all of England until 10:00 BST on 15 August, warning of ongoing significant impacts across health and social care services.

However, temperatures in northern and western areas of the country will be noticeably lower than Thursday, which was the hottest day of 2026. And that will be followed by much cooler conditions for all parts over the weekend as this heatwave is brought to a quick end.

Kew Gardens in London reached 38.1C on Thursday, making it the UK's hottest day of 2026 so far, and the fifth hottest UK day on record. It is also the second time this year that the temperature has reached 38C, after Lingwood, Norfolk recorded 38.0C on 26 June. This is only the second time that 38C has been reached twice in the same year - the previous occasion being 2022.

Though the Met Office amber warning for extreme heat that covered large swathes of England on Thursday expired at midnight, high temperatures will linger in central and eastern parts of England on Friday. Long spells of sunshine will lift temperatures to 29-34C (84-93F) across large parts of the Midlands, Lincolnshire, East Anglia and the south-east. For many places it will mark a third consecutive day above official heatwave thresholds.

The heat will ease elsewhere. Somewhat cooler conditions will begin to move into northern and western parts of the UK, although temperatures will generally remain above the norm for the time of year - widely reaching the low to mid-20s Celsius. Many places will be dry with a mix of cloud and sunny spells although a few showers are possible, and these could be heavy and thundery in some places.

While Saturday will still feel very warm in south-eastern areas of England, temperatures will have mostly come down below the heatwave threshold of 28C, marking an end to the current heatwave. Fresher air will then have spread to all parts of the UK with temperatures around average for the time of year by Sunday - around 17 to 26C. It will however remain dry for most of the UK over the weekend, stretching out the run of days where there has been no notable rain in southern England for two months. It is possible Wisley in Surrey will have notched up 60 days with no rain by Sunday.

Into next week an area of low pressure will move close to the north-west of the UK and that will bring some rain-bearing weather fronts. Scotland and Northern Ireland will see most of the rain on Monday. Into Tuesday, there could be some showers moving into northern England and north Wales with the possibility of those moving further south across England. While some rain is a possibility in southern England, there is a chance that some locations in drought may continue to miss out.

You can stay up to date with the latest forecast for your area on the BBC Weather website and app.