The UK is set to welcome fresher conditions as baking heat gives way to cooler temperatures and sporadic rain throughout the week.
The Met Office said Saturday marked the end of the sweltering heatwave that has baked the nation for much of this week, with the mercury nearing 30C in south-east England.
This week, rain is expected across the country, along with lower temperatures.
Rain is expected to be most frequent and heaviest in northern and western areas, while the east and southeast remain mostly clear.
Met Office Chief Forecaster Chris Bulmer said: ‘We’re now starting to see this spell of very hot weather break down.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
‘Many areas will begin to feel fresher conditions as a weak cold front moves southeast and becomes more established across most of the UK.
‘As the heat starts to ease, the weather will also turn more changeable, with some showers and thunderstorms possible.’
This more changeable pattern is likely to continue into next week, with further spells of rain or showers moving across the UK but broken up with brighter intervals.
London, however, will see rain forecast every single day this week until Friday. Temperatures are expected to be closer to average than they have been in recent days.
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: ‘It’s been quite a dry period of weather and a hot period of weather, so it will be probably much-needed and much welcome rain to gardeners, growers and farmers with the ground being so dry at the moment.
‘So it is a change, but probably a welcome change for those who either don’t like the heat or want some rain.’
Last week, the record for the hottest temperature was broken in England and Wales, with Kew Gardens in London reaching 35.1°C.
If you thought the heat in the UK was unbearable, you’re not alone – 30 degrees in the UK feels wildly different from what it does in other countries.
Quite rightly, people are wondering why the temperatures always feel sweltering when it gets to this time of the year.
Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon has a few answers and told Metro: ‘Meteorologically, the UK air tends to be more humid compared to that in continental Europe.
‘High humidity can make it harder for sweat to evaporate, which is how we naturally cool ourselves down.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.