UK weather: Exact date heatwave will end and thundery downpours will batter Brits

Much of the UK is in for a reprieve from the hot weather as the third heatwave this summer starts to come to an end.

Amber and yellow heat health alerts which have been in place across England – warning of the potential for a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions – are due to lift at 9am today.

Temperatures which have exceeded 30C in several parts of the country and broken multiple records over the weekend are widely forecast to cool. It's good news for people struggling in the heat as the Met Office has confimed fresher air will arrive from Monday (today) making nights a little more comfortable.

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The Met Office wrote on X: "Low pressure begins to move in through Monday morning, increasing the risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms for some Fresher conditions also starting to arrive."

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: “The heatwave is starting to come to an end as low pressure starts to move in from the Atlantic. We say goodbye to high pressure as this area of low pressure takes over, bringing bands of heavy rain, some thundery downpours, but also bringing in some fresher conditions across many parts.”

Central and eastern parts of England are expected to hold on to the warmth on Monday, with forecasts of 25C-26C, while East Anglia and south-east England could potentially hit 30C. But the rest of the UK is expected to see temperatures ranging between 18C and 22C.

Northern England and southern Scotland are most likely to see heavy downpours and some rumbles of thunder but forecasters say there will be plenty of sunny spells developing across the UK through the day.

The peak of the heatwave hit on Saturday, when Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all recorded their warmest day of the year so far – with Scotland and Northern Ireland reaching temperatures they have not hit in years. Although the hot weather continued on Sunday, temperatures did drop slightly as forecast.

Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire hit 30.8C while Achnagart in the Scottish Highlands reached 30.4C, Cardiff’s Bute Park 30.2C and Castlederg in Co Tyrone 27.1C. A host of warnings were issued over dangers arising out of the hot temperatures.

Fire chiefs urged people to stay safe as they warned of the increased risk of wildfires and drowning, with the National Fire Chiefs Council asking people not to enter water to try to cool down and urging parents and carers to ensure children are supervised around water at all times.

HM Coastguard issued safety advice for people heading to the coast, as data from the water incident database shows most drownings happened in July over the last three years.

National Rail warned train passengers that the hot weather might cause disruption during the weekend. And the RNLI warned beachgoers that, despite the heat, there is still a risk of cold water shock.