Much of the UK experiencing an official Heatwave this weekend

The weekend looks hot and not just for southern Britain but widely across the UK. There will be sunshine, light winds, high pressure and very warm air from the south. Changes will be lurking from the Atlantic and the North Sea, but many parts of the UK will be officially in a heatwave this weekend, with some seeing temperatures into the 30sC.  The conditions need three consecutive days meeting or exceeding a threshold temperature that varies around the UK. Northern Ireland, Scotland , northern England, Wales and SW England's level is 25C. For London, some of the Home Counties and Cambridgeshire, the threshold is higher at 28C, with other English counties at 26 or 27C. 

There will be very warm nights. Heatwave conditions are highlighted because the ongoing severe weather conditions will take a toll, causing heat stress to some. Plans may need adapting. Grass pollen levels are still high, and do remember to slap on the sunscreen and take a hat. There is also a very high fire severity risk in this ongoing hot and dry weather. 

Friday evening will be warm and sultry as the heat of the day slowly eases down. It looks fine, sunny and dry with hardly any breeze. There will be low cloud lurking in the North Sea. It will have reached the coasts of eastern Britain by Sunday morning but there could be pockets of low cloud over Shetland, Norfolk, even Kent on Saturday morning, which would inhibit the temperature rise for a time. 

Saturday

Overall, Saturday will be hot and sunny and dry after a warm night. With a light easterly flow off the North Sea, resorts along the east coast of England and Scotland could feel more comfortable but still become warm. There could be haar or seafret along the eastern coasts, which will retreat by day but could lap onto the coast of Norfolk by Saturday evening in a northeasterly flow. Inland and further west, it will be hot, with temperatures many degrees above the seasonal average. 

The UKV highlighting the fresh feel to things along North Sea coasts on Saturday (yellow) and the focus of intense heat for central/western England

Eastern Wales, the West Midlands and the West Country could see the highest temperatures on Friday or Saturday, many reaching into the low 30sC. 33 or 34C look likely. We have several days of light winds, clear skies and strong July sunshine and also this very warm air from Spain and this allows the heat to build, day on day. With the high pressure in place, there is gently descending air with little stirring. This will lead to increased air pollution levels.

Moderate air pollution levels are expected for the weekend

Sunday

The night will be warm again in the west but the cloud from the North Sea will make its way inland, encouraged by the large low pressure over northern Europe.  Western Britain will remain hot on Sunday, as will inland southern Britain and the potential for another day above the heatwave threshold (of 25C) for Northern Ireland. Whereas on Saturday it will be a simple, sunshine and blue skies day, by Sunday there will be more moisture from the North Sea cloud and a bit more of a breeze from the east. The top UK temperature might be down a notch but still hot at 31C. Northeastern Britain won’t be as hot but will still have a warm day. For the Wimbledon finals, the weather looks incredible 

The temperature chart shows more yellow areas over northeastern Britain by Sunday with the flow off the North Sea and the chance of low cloud. Very warm for most of the UK.

For northwestern Scotland to the lee of high ground, the temperatures could rocket in the sunshine. Perhaps even passing the high 20sC so quite a change from the sluggish midweek with more cloud and a dampness in the air. Northern Ireland could see temperatures of 26 or 27C so a hot day with sunshine. Then a change on Monday as the Atlantic rain arrives and the heat will be gone by the afternoon for Ireland. 

Europe

Whilst western Europe has seen heat and clear skies with blazing sunshine, a low pressure over eastern Europe is bringing unsettled weather. Further heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected for the Baltic States on Thursday, moving into northern Poland by Friday. There will heavy rain for Germany and Poland on Saturday with ongoing thunderstorms and heavy downpours for Austria and a few over Switzerland. This same low pressure (Storm Gabriel) will bring heavy showers and the risk of thunderstorms to central Europe on Sunday, reaching the Low Countries and perhaps some rain for the Women’s Euros match when England play Wales to end the weekend. 

For mainland Spain, there will be plenty of heat and sunshine, although with heavy, thundery showers for the north of Spain, heading east later on Friday and possibly affecting Barcelona on Saturday. For the Balearic Islands, including Mallorca, it will be hot at 32C but should stay fine and dry. 

Paris 30C in the sunshine this weekend. Nice 26C by day but staying at 21C by night with the risk of thunderstorms for southern France Saturday evening and overnight.  Greece has had heat warnings as temperatures reached the mid 30sC with the risk of wildfires for SE Europe. 

It’s not just be the land experiencing heatwaves. For the Mediterranean Sea, June 2025 was the warmest June ever recorded, with a mean Sea Surface Temperature (SST) of 23.86 ± 0.47°C (Copernicus). This surpassed the previous high of 2003, with the western Mediterranean hardest hit, as marine heatwaves reached record levels in terms of intensity, duration, and extent. 2003 was a summer of deadly heat for parts of Europe, particularly in France.