Overview

• Low pressure will drive showers, thundery outbreaks and hail this weekend, with 30–40mm of rain possible in western highs and gusts of 25–35mph widely, reaching 50–60mph in exposed parts of western Scotland.
• The Met Office says there is no signal for a return to high pressure, another heatwave or a prolonged dry spell, with early September expected to stay unsettled.
• Provisional data indicate 2025 is almost certainly the UK’s warmest summer on record, with a mean temperature near 16.13°C after four heatwaves.
• Water stress remains severe as North Wales moves into drought, hosepipe bans continue for several suppliers and the National Drought Group classifies England’s water situation as a nationally significant incident.
• Private weather maps suggest a brief warm pulse around 8–9 September with highs near 28–30°C in parts of England, though the Met Office outlook does not point to a sustained return to heat.