Summer washout predicted before temperatures soar again over 32C by weekend
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From the hottest day on record to cloud-ridden skies, showers and fresher air, it felt like a return to normal on these shores as we escaped the clutches of the heatwave
Brits are set for showers and cooler weather over the next couple of days before temperatures could hit the low 30Cs again over the weekend.
Temperatures plunged 15C for most areas, with thermometers just edging up above the 20C mark, which is in stark contrast to the 40C highs of Tuesday.
While parts of the country never escaped from under an ominous blanket of clouds, with rain hammering down in some areas, Brits woke up to what is a usual summer’s day.
It should, though, be dry for much of the nation – with the odd shower in the West Midlands and North West of England – with the south enjoying highs of 25C and the best sunshine in the southwest.
“All that extreme heat is being steadily pushed away by weather fronts and something cooler arriving in the short term, then eyes look down to the south with the potential for some heavy thundery showers to affect parts of the south on Friday but they will be very much hit and miss,” said Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin.
He added: “After that, well, we are mostly looking out to the Atlantic as low pressure starts to move in and isobars fairly close together and weather fronts drifting across the country. That will bring clouds, some outbreaks of rain and generally a fresher feel as we head into the early part of next week.”
Mr Deakin said that while it could reach 32C on Sunday in the South East, it will be a lot cooler in the north of the country.
“Some very warm air never too far away from the far south and as I say there is the potential for some thunderstorms on Friday and then the warm air is tucked in here across parts of England and Wales for Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
“So temperatures could tick up back to the high 20Cs, possibly even the low 30Cs across the South East and East Anglia on Sunday but it is going to be quite a contrast with much cooler conditions further north and west with weather fronts bringing cloud and outbreaks of rain.”
The UK recorded a new provisional high temperature of 40.3C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire, on Tuesday, outstripping the previous record set in Cambridge in 2019 of 38.7.