The UK is set for a cooler start to the weekend, with sweeping showers across parts of the country, but temperatures are expected to rise again in the southeast, reaching 27C today and 29C on Sunday.
The Met Office has announced that England and Wales are on course for the driest July since records began, with the month characterised by an "exceptional combination of extreme heat, abundant sunshine and an almost complete absence of rainfall".
Driest July on record
Provisional statistics show only 5.6mm of rainfall was recorded in England in July, less than half the previous record of 13.4mm set in 1911. Wales is also set for its driest July with 7.9mm, almost a third of the previous record of 22.6mm also set in 1911.
Northern Ireland is on track for its eighth driest July, while the UK as a whole is on course for its third driest. Scotland has had 72% of its average rainfall for the month and is not currently within its top 10 driest Julys.
Showers in the north
BBC weather forecaster Chris Fawkes said: "The heaviest and the most frequent showers across Scotland and Northern Ireland but for most of England and Wales we are looking at a dry and sunny start to the day on Saturday."
"So showers will continue to run in thick and fast across Scotland, Northern Ireland seeing a few and you could also see one or two across northern England and Wales, but for the most part, England and Wales having a dry day with sunshine."
"It will become warm again with temperatures in the southeast up to 27C, otherwise across other parts of the north and west of the UK temperatures generally high teens or low 20Cs," said Fawkes.
Drought and wildfires
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said there will be showery rain in the north, particularly Scotland, but it will be mostly dry elsewhere. "Many places, especially in the south, are crying out for some much-needed rain," he said. "Whilst there's a bit of a rain on the horizon for next week, there's not much to come this weekend."
Half of England and the whole of Wales is officially in drought as successive heatwaves put pressure on water resources. Aerial pictures taken on Friday show the parched London landscape after weeks of hot, dry weather.
Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, Suffolk, since 5.30pm on Wednesday. Suffolk County Council said crews remained at the scene and "good progress is continuing". The wildfire is a few miles from nuclear power station Sizewell B and the construction site for new power station Sizewell C.
