Temperatures to cool after fourth heatwave of the year

Georgia Bates, Press Association

Forecasters have said that temperatures will be cooler and closer to average for this time of year after the UK endured its fourth heatwave of the summer.

The Met Office said on X that Friday will be “chilly” for many with a scattering of showers in the North.

It follows scorching weather on Wednesday when temperatures as high as 35.2C were recorded, marking the seventh day in 2026 when temperatures have hit 35C or higher.

The weather has led to health authorities warning the UK is on track this year for the highest number of deaths caused by such hot spells since current figures began.

Half of England and the whole of Wales is suffering from drought as a result of the recent combination of low rainfall and high temperatures.

The Met Office said that Friday’s temperatures are “expected to be much closer to average across most of the UK, and even slightly below average for northern Scotland”.

It said that Saturday will have a cool start for many but that, while one or two showers are possible, there will be lots of dry weather.

Fire chiefs said that wildfires are becoming a “recurring and growing feature of the risks facing our communities” in the face of a changing climate, as data showed July has been the busiest month on record, with firefighters responding to 393 wildfires across England and Wales.

The number of wildfire incidents recorded this year already matches the total annual figures seen in 2021, 2023 and 2024 combined, although the number is below the same point in 2025 when long-lasting drought and heat caused severe fire risk.

In Suffolk, firefighters have been tackling a blaze at Dunwich Heath, near Leiston, since 5.30pm on Wednesday.

Late on Thursday afternoon, the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said the area affected had grown to 150 hectares – the equivalent of approximately 210 football pitches – with 18 fire engines and more than 100 firefighters at the scene.

The wildfire is a few miles away from nuclear power station Sizewell B and the construction site for new power station Sizewell C.

Appliances from the London Fire Brigade have joined efforts to tackle the blaze, which has led to around 50 people being forced to flee their homes and a local holiday park.

The National Trust, which has had wildfires at a number of its sites including at Dunwich Heath, is demanding action to help people adapt to the changing climate.

These demands include building homes fit for the future, creating wetter and more resilient landscapes, cooling towns and cities and helping communities.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said it “is likely that 2026 could see the highest number of heat-associated deaths on record”, surpassing the number seen in 2022 when the UKHSA started studying them.

There have been almost double the number of excess deaths caused by heatwaves so far this year than all of last summer, the data shows.

The new report estimates there were 2,877 heat-associated deaths during the heatwaves in May and June this year, with an estimated 753 deaths associated with the heatwave from May 24-27, and a further 2,124 with the heatwave between June 21 and 28.

Essex Police said a man died after getting into difficulty in the sea at Frinton.

The force were contacted shortly before 2.10pm to reports that the man had been brought ashore. It said that despite the best efforts of emergency services, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

One eyewitness told the Press Association that around 10 emergency vehicles, including an air ambulance, responded to the incident.

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