The Met Office has forecast heavy rain to hit the UK on Wednesday, July 1, as temperatures remain at around 20°C for large parts of the country. This follows three consecutive days of record-breaking temperatures last week, with a new high of 37.7°C recorded on Friday, June 26, in Norfolk.
Wednesday's Weather Outlook
According to the Met Office, Wednesday will start largely dry for much of the country, though cloud will increase across western areas. A new weather system will then push in from the west, bringing heavy and persistent rain to Northern Ireland before spreading into Scotland and northwest England.
Further south and east, conditions will remain mostly dry with some sunshine, although cloud may increase at times. Temperatures will be similar to Tuesday, with mid-20s Celsius in the southeast and cooler conditions further northwest under cloud and rain.
Overnight Clearing and Weekend Forecast
The system clears eastwards overnight into Thursday, bringing a spell of rain to southeastern areas, though it will tend to fragment as it moves through. Looking ahead to the Met Office's long-range forecast, high pressure is set to dominate between July 5 and 14, bringing dry and warm conditions with plenty of sunshine.
The Met Office states: "High pressure will dominate across England and Wales over the weekend and into next week. This will bring dry and warm conditions with plenty of sunshine for most. Scotland and Northern Ireland will probably see more cloud, with periods of rain at times, mainly affecting western Scotland."
Potential for Another Heatwave
While temperatures have cooled this week, reaching the high teens or low 20s for most of the country, another heatwave could hit the UK next week. Temperatures may climb again to reach 30°C in parts of the south. Through next week, the high pressure may extend northwards to bring periods of drier and warmer weather to Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Winds will be light to moderate for most, though stronger around northern hills and coasts near low pressure systems. Temperatures will rise through the early part of the period, becoming very warm or hot in parts of the south and east.
