UK set for fourth intense heatwave as scorching 32C highs close out July

A fourth heatwave of the summer will arrive before the end of the month as Brits desperate for an end to the high temperatures are told to brace for even more intense heat.

The UK is currently recuperating from its third heatwave of the year, with several parts of the country experiencing conditions over 32C since Friday and Monday. Despite temperatures rising over 30C again on Monday, rain is now falling to help cool some areas down with a welcome wind also arriving this week.

However, it could soon change again as Met Office weather maps reveal more sweltering highs are on the cards this month. There will be a bit of a wait until things really heat up again, but by Tuesday July 29 we will be switching on the fans again with the south east expecting the mercury to hit 31C.

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Other areas, such as the west Midland and the north west, will see highs of 30. It is due to be even warmer on Wednesday July 30 with 32C forecast. Things will begin to get really hot again from next weekend, with much of the south seeing 28C from the Sunday. Before that, rain is scheduled across most parts of Britain, a relief for millions as water companies roll out hosepipe bans as water supplies dwindle following one of the driest springs on record.

It comes as the Environment Agency, which aims to help protect the UK environment, has warned England faces widespread drought conditions by September. The East and West Midlands have become the latest areas of England to fall into drought as the country struggles with the driest start to the year since 1976.

The declaration of drought status for the East and West Midlands means the region joins Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, which are already in drought. As it stands, there are four UK regions considered drought zones, and there could be an additional four within a matter of months, it says. The National Drought Group is set to meet later today to discuss the worsening situation.

Rain and thunderstorms has today hit some regions, including the Northwest of England, this afternoon as a band of low pressure creeps in from the west. This will also lead to gusts of up to 50mph along the coasts of south Wales and Somerset and Devon. It will be quite the contrast to recent scorchers and the Met Office website reads: "A band of rain will move east through the day, followed by heavy scattered showers in the northwest. Windy for many, particularly across the south and west. Feeling fresh."

The sequence begins an unsettled ending to July. The Met Office's long-range forecast, concerning the period up to Monday July 28, says it will be "wet and, in places, windy". It adds: "Unsettled, wet and in places windy weather is likely this coming weekend, followed by something a bit more mixed.

Any more settled spells could persist for a few days at a time and are likely to be accompanied by plenty of sunshine, but interspersed with these will be cloudier, more unsettled intervals which will bring some showers or longer spells of persistent rainfall."

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. 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.”