Met Office forecasters expect temperatures to cool off this weekend, but weather models now suggest England and Wales could be just days away from a fourth heatwave of 2026
Advanced weather forecasting maps show temperatures could soon surge back above 30C in the UK, in what could be the fourth heatwave of the year.
The UK is currently in the midst of its third heatwave of 2026, with temperatures in southern areas expected to remain above 30C until the weekend.
Met Office forecasters expect the mercury to drop over the weekend, with 26C highs coming in southern areas and 24C up north on Sunday. This means temperatures would potentially drop low enough to bring an official end to the current heatwave.
However, weather models now suggest it won’t be too long before temperatures rise into the 30s once more. The GFS model shows highs of 30C and 31C coming in eastern, western and southern England next Thursday.
For next Friday, the weather maps show highs of 32C are possible in southern and south-eastern regions, with the mercury once again reaching 31C in western areas.
Conditions are then expected to really warm up on Saturday next week. The GFS model shows potential highs of 35C in southern and south-eastern England, with 33C and 34C on the cards quite widely across central areas. Highs of 32C are possible as far north as Yorkshire, with Wales also creeping as high as 30C.
Temperature anomaly maps for Saturday next week show huge swathes of England and Wales shaded in deep red. This indicates where temperatures are expected to rise well above the seasonal average. They also show parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland shaded in blue – where temperatures are expected to be below average.
The GFS model maps show 17 counties could see temperatures of 34C or more next week. They are all in England.
UK counties facing 34C or more next week
- Norfolk
- Suffolk
- Cambridgeshire
- Essex
- Northamptonshire
- Bedfordshire
- Hertfordshire
- Buckinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Berkshire
- Surrey
- Kent
- Gloucestershire
- Wiltshire
- Hampshire
- Worcestershire
- Warwickshire
Met Office weather forecast
David Hayter, the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, said: “Every day for the last 11 days somewhere in the UK has seen temperatures reach or exceed 30C.
“The high pressure – which has brought this prolonged fine spell – will continue for the next week or so at least, but will shift enough to enable a more northerly flow that will introduce a cooler feel that will end the run of 30C days. However, we are still likely to see some locations remain in heatwave conditions to finish [this] week.”
Although the Met Office expects the weather to cool off this weekend, forecasters say conditions will likely turn “very warm again in parts of the south” before the weekend after. There is also a risk of thunderstorms towards the end of next week.
