Heatwave conditions return as temperatures expected to reach 32C

Nation.Cymru Staff and Agencies

Wales is set to return to heatwave conditions next week, with temperatures forecast to climb above 30C across parts of the country after a cooler, unsettled start to the weekend.

In Wales, things won’t heat up for a while with Sunday bringing a cool start. Overnight temperature will remain at around 13C, with a spell of rain in Ynys Môn and parts of north Wales from the late morning, and heavier rain expected on the north coast later in the evening.

For much of the country, however, temperatures will rise rapidly to highs of 28C by late afternoon. It will feel increasingly muggy as cloud spreads in from the west during the morning and lingers overnight.

Monday will stay warm and humid after overnight temperatures of around 17C in parts of mid Wales. Patchy cloud through the morning will give way to widespread sunshine shortly after lunchtime, with highs of 27C expected across much of the country, marking the start of another spell of hot weather.

Although some parts of mid Wales could see overnight temperatures dip below 10C into Tuesday, daytime highs will reach 29C in Monmouthshire and the north east, with 28C across south and mid Wales. Any early cloud will quickly clear, while coastal areas remain a little cooler at around 24C, although Pembrokeshire could still reach 26C.

Wednesday is set to be one of the hottest days of the week, with temperatures climbing to around 32C in eastern areas including Monmouthshire, Cardiff and Wrexham, while much of mid Wales will reach 30C.

Morning cloud across the north east and mid Wales should clear during the afternoon, leaving clear evening skies just in time for Wednesday night’s solar eclipse.

The hot spell extends well beyond Wales, with the Met Office forecasting heatwave conditions across much of the UK next week. Temperatures could reach 36C in parts of East Anglia and south-east England by Thursday.

There have been two record-breaking heatwaves, in May and June, that led to more than 2,800 excess deaths, and two more heatwaves in July that have fuelled drought and wildfires across Wales and Scotland.

The highest temperature of the year was 38C recorded at Lingwood in Norfolk on 28 June, and there have been 33 days so far this year when temperatures have exceeded 30C somewhere in the UK.

The record of 34 days – set in 1995 – is likely to be broken next week.

Forecasters said the weekend will see a north-south split in the weather with Scotland and Northern Ireland likely to see spells of heavy rain, while England and Wales will remain largely dry, sunny and increasingly warm.

Temperatures could reach 27C on Friday and as high as 30C on Saturday, before climbing into the low 30s in southern and south-east England on Sunday.

The highest temperatures are currently expected on Thursday when 36C could be seen in parts of East Anglia and south-east England.

Deputy chief forecaster Mike Silverstone said: “Temperatures will climb through the weekend and, more significantly, through much of next week.

“After a brief dip on Monday, high pressure will move across the UK before settling to the east, allowing a southerly flow to develop.

“A fairly widespread heatwave is likely across large parts of England and Wales, with hot conditions developing in places.

“The heat is expected to peak for much of England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland on Wednesday, with up to 34C possible in parts of central and southern England and south-east Wales.

“East Anglia and south-east England, however, could see temperatures even higher on Thursday.

“Humidity levels are also expected to increase through the week, which may make conditions feel more uncomfortable, particularly overnight.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued yellow heat health alerts for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.

They will come into force at 9am on Saturday and end at 9pm on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the National Trust is asking people to sign a petition calling on the Government to make tackling climate change a national mission.

It comes after several wildfires have broken out in the UK over recent weeks, with large blazes at Llanwonno in the Rhondda Valleys, Blaenavon, the Rhinogydd mountain range in Gwynedd, and the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland.

Nick Thomas of Natural Resources Wales said 2026 is likely to be Wales worst year for wildfires ever, and the National Trust said these fires have underlined how urgently the UK needs more resilient landscapes, natural solutions that help shield communities and infrastructure.

They added that Fire and Rescue Services must have the funding and equipment to deal with increasingly frequent and severe wildfires.

National Trust director-general Hilary McGrady said: “The climate crisis long predicted by scientists is happening here and now.

“Ferocious wildfires, unprecedented temperatures and record-breaking droughts are already hitting communities and nature across the UK – they are not a distant threat.

“Tackling this emergency must be a cross-Government priority because it touches every aspect of our lives, our society and our economy. So we’ve launched a petition to demonstrate to ministers the strength of public feeling on this issue.

“Dunwich Heath is just the latest alarm call telling us that things must change. I’ve visited the landscape many times – it’s usually a haze of purple teeming with wildlife.

“The scale of the damage caused by a single blaze is shocking and without the actions of all those who helped, it could have been even worse.”

Reservoir storage has dropped significantly, and five reservoirs are now classed as having “exceptionally low” levels, including Clywedog in Powys, which provides water for central and north-west England, currently at 62%.

Last month was the driest July for Wales since records began in 1836, according to provisional figures released by the Met Office.

England as a whole had just a 10th of the average rainfall for the month while Wales saw just 9% of the average, with both countries seeing less than half of the rainfall in the previous record dry July in 1911.

The UK countries all recorded their sunniest July on record – and for Wales and England it was the sunniest calendar month ever observed, the Met Office said.

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