Heatwave could return over the weekend

After a record-breaking hot spell, the UK is set to bask in warm temperatures once again this weekend, but the highs will be milder across the country.

Sky News meteorologist Dr Christopher England said: "Potentially turning quite hot again across the south-east this weekend, although details are uncertain at this stage, and it probably won't be anything like as hot as recently, with highs of around 30C more likely."

He noted that it probably won't be as humid either, adding that a heatwave next week, rather than over the weekend, is more likely.

Heat records were broken on three consecutive days from Wednesday, reaching a provisional peak of 37.3C in Santon Downham in Suffolk on Friday.

Since then, the Met Office has revealed the new June provisional record temperature of 37.7C was recorded in Lingwood, Norfolk, on Friday, beating the 37.3C at Santon Downham.

Hundreds of schools and nurseries were forced to shut and there was a hosepipe ban in Kent.

The heatwave shattered the long-standing record for June temperatures, dating back to the summer of 1976, by more than 1C. This was notable, since such records are generally broken only by a fraction of a degree.

During the recent heatwave, seven people died in water-related incidents, following on from 15 in May.

Several hospitals declared critical incidents, with University Hospital Southampton forced to cancel a number of planned operations and some outpatient appointments.

The heatwave was driven by a "heat-dome" - an area of high pressure that stalls over a region and traps heat - settling over western Europe, with extreme conditions felt across the continent.

The record-breaking ‌heatwave across Europe has caused hundreds of excess deaths and disrupted daily life for more than a week, as concerns grow over the spread of wildfires.

There was a warning that the heat was likely to build again from the start of next week in countries such as France and Germany, which were among the worst hit over the past few days.

In Croatia, a red alert was issued on Monday for regions including the capital Zagreb and tourist destinations Split and Dubrovnik.

Dozens of firefighters, along with ​four aircraft, attempted to contain a wildfire burning pine forests on the tourist island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea.

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In neighbouring Serbia, a warning was issued that temperatures would hit 39C ​on Monday.

Scientists have said the heatwave, which started on 20 June, was the worst recorded in Europe, and the blistering conditions have disrupted power generation, ‌damaged infrastructure and overwhelmed healthcare systems.

Human-driven climate change, largely caused by burning fossil fuels, is making such extreme heatwaves more frequent and intense.

France has reported 1,000 excess deaths during the heatwave. The French public health agency said most of the heat-related fatalities involved older people and warned the number was expected to rise.

Luca Mercalli, the president of Italy's Meteorological Society, said temperatures were set to soar again from Sunday.

"The areas affected look broadly the same as ⁠in the first wave, including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and to some extent Britain," he said.

(c) Sky News 2026: Heatwave could return over the weekend