Rain to hit next week after 33°C heatwave – but will the sun return for Glastonbury? ...Middle East

Cooler but changeable weather is expected to sweep the UK after a blistering heatwave last week, as Glastonbury Festival-goers are warned of a rainy start to the weekend.

Much of the country saw sweltering temperatures over the last few days, with a high of almost 33°C in Surrey on Saturday, marking the hottest day of the year so far.

But this week is expected to remain “changeable”, the Met Office said, with showers and longer spells of rain forecast.

The worst of the showers are expected in the north and west, while the south should remain dry and continue to enjoy lengthy periods of sunshine, with temperatures remaining in the low 20°C on Monday.

Tuesday is expected to remain cloudy with small pockets of rain affecting mainly the Midlands and Scotland. High humidity is also expected to persist.

Wednesday and Thursday, when Glastonbury Festival kicks off in Somerset in southwest England, will see the worst of the wet weather this week. This is set to include “heavy showers or longer spells of rain”, the Met Office said.

“Rather changeable conditions are anticipated through” the rest of the week and into the weekend, the forecaster added, which is due to a “series of Atlantic low pressure systems” passing through the northwest.

“These will tend to bring some occasional rain or showers, most frequent in northwestern areas where it may also be rather breezy or windy at times,” the Met Office said in its long range weather forecast.

“Whilst some rain or showers will be possible farther south and east, here longer drier spells are more likely.”

The southwest is most likely to see a return to very warm weather with southwesterly winds offering brief bursts of hotter air.

For Glastonbury-goers, rain is likely to persist across the weekend, despite a mix of sunshine, while temperatures may peak around 22°C, with Friday and Saturday expected to be the warmest days.

The most likely day for uninterrupted sunshine will be Monday, when revellers pack up and return home.

The cooler weather comes after a yellow warning for thunderstorms was in place across 21-22 June, covering parts of south-east Scotland, Yorkshire, the Midlands and Wales.

Overnight on Saturday, “a lot cooler” and “a lot fresher” conditions fell in place, with the exception of the east of England, London and the South East, which the Met Office described as close to a “tropical night” where the overnight minimum fails to drop below 20°C.

Somerset on Friday also came “very close” to recording a tropical night as temperatures dropped to a minimum of 19.7°C, the forecaster said.

“Many places” in England and “one or two areas” in Wales, including Cardiff, entered a heatwave following Friday’s highest temperatures, the Met Office said.

An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25°C to 28°C in different parts of the UK. Forecasters are as of yet unsure when the UK will see another persistent stretch of warm weather which may constitute heatwave conditions.

An amber heat-health alert, issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the first time since September 2023, for all regions in England remained in place over the weekend.

Temperatures reached 32.2°C in Kew, west London, on Thursday, while Friday saw highs of 30.8°C recorded in both England and Wales.

Pharmacies earlier advised their patients to store medicines safely as the heat-health alert continues, adding that most medicines kept at room temperature should be stored in a cool, dry place, away from direct sunlight and hot areas, the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) said.

Warmer temperatures may lead to some medicines losing their effectiveness or unwanted side effects, the NPC added.

The hot weather comes as thousands of people watched the sunrise over Stonehenge in Wiltshire to celebrate the summer solstice on Saturday, marking the year’s longest day.

Drought concerns persist

Despite the forecast rainfall next week experts have warned that water levels could “deteriorate quickly”, with waterways remaining “stressed” by months of exceptionally dry weather.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said while rainfall in late May and early June brought relief to parts of the country, it has not been enough to reverse underlying dry conditions.

The agency has called on water abstractors, such as farmers, distilleries and industry, not to wait until the situation reaches “crisis point” before starting to use water more efficiently.

Drough concerns have also been raised in Yorkshire where farmers have warned the heatwave threatens to worsen the outlook for food production.

The record-hot and the driest spring in decades has left northwest England and Yorkshire in drought and other regions in prolonged dry conditions.

“After warnings of thunderstorms at the start of the month, this switch to hot, dry weather reinforces just how urgently we need long-term planning and investment in water resilience,” the National Farmers’ Union said.

“Drought puts immense pressure on crops, livestock and grass growth and threatens the availability of homegrown fruit and veg.”

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