Cooler temperatures are on the way but the long, dry summer continues for most.

Cooler temperatures are on the way for some parts of the UK after a first half of summer dominated by warm, sunny and largely dry weather. Parts of England have experienced more than two weeks of heatwave conditions, and some central areas have had the longest dry spell since 1997. But the third heatwave of 2026 is now easing as northerly winds introduce some fresher air - although most places still won't have any significant rainfall. The slightly cooler spell may be very brief for some parts of southern England and south Wales, where we could see heatwave criteria being reached again later this week. Cooler northerly winds will cause the biggest fall in temperatures near the east coast High pressure will be slow-moving in the Atlantic to the west of us over the coming days. As winds rotate in a clockwise direction around high pressure, this will result in a northerly airflow pushing across the UK. The areas most exposed to this northerly wind will be northern and eastern Scotland, as well as eastern England.