Temperatures are expected to remain above 30C in parts of England on Friday following on from the hottest day of the year so far.
Temperatures are set to peak at 33C on Friday before gradually going down over the weekend after an amber warning for “extreme heat” was put in place until midnight on Thursday
Hot weather will peak at 33C across London and the counties surrounding the capital on Friday afternoon. Further north, temperatures are expected to cool as Sheffield sees 28C and Manchester 25C. The mercury is expected to remain at around 20C in Scotland, cooling further north into the late teens.
Cloudy weather is expected to bring some relief on Friday after the brutal heat experienced the day prior. The UK recorded 38.1C at Kew Gardens in London on Thursday, the Met Office said in provisional statistics, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
This broke the record previously set on 28 June during yet another brutal heatwave, when the mercury hit 38C.
Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong, said: “This current spell of extreme heat is the latest in a remarkable summer. Numerous temperature records have been broken and we’ve seen an exceptionally dry season across much of England and Wales too.
“Temperatures will remain high overnight in the east, with a widespread tropical night likely where temperatures don’t fall below 20C. Friday will be a less hot day, with temperatures forecast to reach highs of 34C in the south east. Into the weekend temperatures could still hover over 30C in the south, with a gradual return to average over the next few days.”
It comes as almost three-quarters of England is now suffering from drought conditions, affecting 45 million people, with the country now on course to record its hottest ever summer.
The prime minister has now urged retailers to stop selling disposable barbecues while the dry conditions endure in a desperate bid to curb the risk of wildfires breaking out.
His comments came after chairing a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee in response to the prolonged spell of exceptionally hot and dry weather.
England and Wales have already seen as many wildfires this year as in the whole of 2025. A major incident was declared in Stratford-upon-Avon on Thursday at the scene of a wildfire after Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service were called at 2.30pm to reports of a large plume of smoke on Tothall Lane, Salford Priors.
At Stourbridge golf course, an “extensive grass fire” spread across roads in places with people urged to stay indoors.
The Met Office’s deputy chief forecaster Mike Silverstone said the heatwave was expected to be fairly widespread across England and Wales.
“A fairly widespread heatwave is likely across large parts of England and Wales, with hot conditions developing in places,” he said.
“Humidity levels are also expected to increase through the week, which may make conditions feel more uncomfortable, particularly overnight.”
The UK has experienced a consistent North-South split in the weather across this summer, with Scotland and Northern Ireland experiencing heavy spells of rain last weekend.
Rare amber “extreme heat” warnings ended at midnight on Thursday but a yellow thunderstorm warning will linger over Northern Ireland until 6am on Friday after it came into force at 11am the day before.
All of England is under an amber heat health alert lasting until 9pm on Friday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) warned of risks to the lives of the elderly and vulnerable people and significant effects on health and social care services.
Train passengers were urged to only travel if necessary by some operators on Thursday as services were expected to be disrupted because of hot weather.
Chiltern Railways and East Midlands Railway issued alerts to “only travel if essential”, while other operators ran a reduced timetable or are warning about the potential for short-notice cancellations.
Southern Water has meanwhile applied for a rare drought order which would ban businesses from non-essential water use, including cleaning cars and filling non-domestic swimming pools, saying an “exceptional” lack of rain has threatened supplies in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
It warned that 165,000 people in the Southampton West supply area could face restricted supplies.
Met Office weather forecast
Today:
Staying hot across much of England and Wales before a weak cold front brings cooler, cloudier weather in from the northwest. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms are possible in the east later.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday:
Saturday brings sunny spells and scattered showers, heaviest in the southeast. Sunday is mostly dry with sunshine, though rain reaching the northwest later. Monday sees increasing rain, with breezy conditions.
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