Londoners are this weekend enjoying some relief from this summer’s punishing heatwave temperatures. This week’s searing heat saw 38.1C recorded at Kew Gardens on Thursday - the hottest UK temperature of the year, followed by a high of 34C on Friday.
Weekend forecast and drought conditions
London temperatures highs of 27C are expected on Saturday and Sunday, according to the Met Office. More than 70 per cent of the country is now in drought following a record dry July, and an August that has so far seen just 5 per cent of expected rainfall.
London’s parks have been turned into “tinderbox” parched lands where wildfires can easily spread. Sir Sadiq Khan has urged Londoners to create fire breaks in their gardens to protect their homes, while the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has also warned of the dangers that major blazes could start in people’s gardens.
Wildfire risk and impact
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has urged retailers to withdraw disposable barbecues from sale in an effort to prevent wildfires as he warned extreme heat conditions “could be with us for some weeks yet”. More than 1,000 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the same as last year’s record-breaking total.
Huge fires caused “apocalyptic scenes” in the West Midlands on Thursday, with a blaze in Stourbridge leading to a child and three firefighters being taken to hospital. West Midlands Fire Service said 19 houses have been fully destroyed and 18 damaged by the blaze, and the incident is estimated to involve about 40 acres of land, including a wood.
Will there be another heatwave in London this year?
According to the Met Office, highs of 27C are expected on Saturday and Sunday, with 28C forecast on Monday and Tuesday before cooler conditions sweep the capital. Remember, a heatwave in London is defined as at least three days of 28C or higher. So the actual temperature on Saturday and Sunday would only need to be one degree higher than the Met Office forecast for this week’s heatwave to continue for, potentially, three more days. Equally, London could find itself in a sixth heatwave if Saturday’s high drops below 28C, before three days of 28C-or-higher temperatures.
BBC Weather’s 14-day forecast for London suggests an immediate heatwave return is less likely, with highs of 26C or 27C predicted this weekend and early next week. After that, it’s expected to get noticeably cooler with highs in the range of 22C-24C until Friday, August 28. Following weeks of zero rainfall in parts of London, BBC Weather is predicting showers after next week.
The Met Office’s long-range forecast does hold out the possibility of more heatwaves in London. The forecast for the period August 29-September 12 says there is likely to be a northwest/southeast split. “Drier, more settled weather is slightly more likely towards the south and east. Temperatures are again likely to be above average overall, with the potential for late season hot spells or heatwaves, especially in the south,” it says. So while the extremely high temperatures may nearly be over for now, there is a chance London will see a sixth - or even seventh - heatwave in 2026.
