The UK is enjoying reprieve from back-to-back heatwaves this weekend, but the Met Office has warned a combination of rain and high temperatures may strike early next week.
Fresh conditions with sunny spells have brought relief across the UK, including showers across Scotland on Saturday which will ease by Sunday, the Met Office said.
From Monday, low pressure is set to extend across the UK from the southwest, bringing with it a spell of potentially heavy rain to parts of the north while showers impact the south.
Warmer and humid air could as a result see temperatures surpass 33C in some parts of England on Monday, including in London, the Midlands and other areas of the southeast.
“A change in weather type early next week will see warmer conditions return across England and Wales but in contrast to much of the summer, this will be associated with showers or perhaps thunderstorms for some places,” said Met Office chief forecaster Chris Bulmer.
“However, some parts of the south will only see small amounts of rain. It will stay cooler in the north with the potential for heavy rain to build up, especially over parts of Scotland.”
Intense rainfall is forecast in the west Midlands and parts of northern Wales on Tuesday afternoon, with rainfall of more than 32mm per hour possible in some patches.
Wet weather will shift across towards East Anglia and London on Wednesday, before dry conditions are set to return on Thursday - barring showers in Scotland.
Many experienced the country’s fourth heatwave of the year in July, with temperatures reaching 35.2C on Wednesday – the seventh day in 2026 when temperatures have hit 35C or higher.
Paired with severely low rainfall, the hot weather has led to official drought conditions being declared for regions home to around half of England’s population, and the entirety of Wales.
England and Wales are on course to record their driest July in 190 years, the Met Office said on Friday.
Several other areas remain in high-risk prolonged dry weather status, with only north-east England and Scotland retaining normal status.
The continued dry weather has prompted a string of wildfires across the UK, with fire chiefs warning that they are becoming a “recurring and growing feature of the risks facing our communities”.
July has seen firefighters tackle a record number of wildfires, at 393 in England and Wales. The number of wildfires in 2026 is now higher than the combined total of 2021, 2023, and 2024, but remains below the same point in 2025 when drought conditions were also experienced.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also warned that “is likely that 2026 could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record”, with 2,877 heat-associated deaths recorded during the heatwaves in May and June this year.
Met Office five-day forecast
Saturday night:
In Scotland, showers will ease leaving many with a dry night and clear spells. Temperatures will drop lower than on Friday night, especially outside the southeast. In rural areas, temperatures will drop to the low single figures.
Sunday:
Scotland will see several showers, but weather will be largely fine and dry with sunshine in the south. It will remain warm, with clouds later thickening in the west.
Outlook for Monday to Wednesday:
Rain is set to impact northern areas on Monday and Tuesday, meanwhile southern areas are due to turn increasing hot and humid with a chance of some showers.
Wednesday will see showers or longer spells of rain.
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