UK weather maps show a considerable drop in temperatures, especially compared to what most of the UK has gotten used to over summer 2026. This summer has been a record-breaking one, with extreme heat and dryness sparking droughts and official health warnings during peak temperatures in the high 30s. However, the country has cooled significantly in recent days, with rain also breaking up an extensive period of dry weather.
Cold snap expected in early September
Current weather maps from WXCharts show temperatures reaching as low as 4C in parts of the UK, with conditions under 10C in many parts of Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The cold snap looks set to arrive in the early hours of Tuesday, September 1, marking a relatively cold start to Autumn.
However, temperatures are also expected to get into the high 20s in parts of the UK in the next few days, although conditions won't be as hot as the peaks we've already experienced over the last few months.
Coldest areas and affected regions
According to WXCharts's current projections, the coldest areas will be around south and central Scotland, where temperatures could plummet to lows of 4C.
The areas that will experience temperatures below 10C in the early hours of September 1 are:
- England: Northumberland, Cumbria, Tyne & Wear, County Durham, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire
- Wales: Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Powys, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, Conway
- Scotland: Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll, Ayrshire, Banffshire, Berwickshire, Buteshire, Caithness, Clackmannanshire, Dumfriesshire, Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, Fife, Inverness-shire, Kincardineshire, Kinross-shire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Lanarkshire, Midlothian, Moray, Nairnshire, Orkney, Peeblesshire, Perthshire, Renfrewshire, Ross and Cromarty, Roxburghshire, Selkirkshire, Shetland, Stirlingshire, Sutherland, West Lothian, Wigtownshire
- Northern Ireland: County Armagh, County Antrim, County Down, County Derry, County Tyrone, County Fermanagh
Met Office forecast for unsettled start
Towards the end of August and the beginning of September, the Met Office predicts an "unsettled start". The current forecast reads: "A relatively unsettled start to this period, as showers or longer spells of rain are possible across many parts of the UK, along with some strong winds.
"Some heavy bursts and thunderstorms are likely at times. It will likely remain changeable into early September, with rainfall amounts probably above average for the time year and the potential for some more strong winds at times.
"However, some drier, more settled interludes could develop at times. Temperatures are likely to be near average, although some short-lived warm or hot spells are possible, especially in the south."
