Britain’s hot spell is now coming to an end with cooler and windy weather on the way, with the outlook for increasingly unsettled conditions over the next few days.
Temperatures will move closer to the seasonal average across the UK with showers moving into northern England and Scotland, the Met Office said. This wet weather could continue into the weekend in northern areas, with strong winds also expected.
Further south, sunny spells will stay but temperatures will be lower amid light winds. It will then turn cloudier by the start of next week, with rain moving in from the west.
Glastonbury revellers are expected enjoy weather across the weekend that is ‘mostly dry with plenty of sunny spells’ and temperatures about average for June, which will be at 18C (64F) today before rising to 19C (66F) tomorrow and 21C (70F) on Sunday.
It follows the UK’s first heatwave of the year that saw a 2024 high of 30.3C (86.5F) on Wednesday and a four-day heat health alert that expired yesterday afternoon.
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: ‘After the spell of warmth earlier this week, the UK forecast is pivoting rapidly to cooler and more unsettled conditions.
‘This change is being driven by an unseasonably deep area of low pressure to the west of Scotland, this is bringing strong winds and rain to northern parts of the UK, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England.
‘A cold front from this system is dragging cooler air eastwards across the rest of the UK. This is bringing temperatures down to much nearer average values.
‘The UK outlook for the next few days is for periods of unsettled conditions to be interspersed with brighter spells.’
The incoming unsettled weather follows a period of sustained high temperatures.
Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far, the Met Office said, with a high of 30.3C (86.5F) recorded at Heathrow Airport.
The previous hottest day of the year was Tuesday, with the mercury topping out at 30C (86F) in Chertsey in Surrey.
Met Office meteorologist Kathryn Chalk said the last time 30C was recorded in the UK before this week was on September 10 last year – nearly 300 days ago.
The UK high yesterday was 25.5C (77.9F) at Heathrow.
The NHS said the number of people seeking heat advice on its website ‘skyrocketed’ after a yellow heat health alert covering most of the country came into force on Monday. This warning expired at 5pm yesterday.
London’s ability to deal with future extreme heatwaves was put to the test yesterday as the capital’s key agencies came together to plan how to support residents and minimise disruption.
‘Operation Helios’ explored an extreme heat scenario of five days of heat that scientists warn could affect Londoners by 2027.
Meanwhile Glastonbury comes amid planned industrial action by junior doctors, as NHS Somerset offered tips on how to ‘stay well’ during periods of hot weather to help ‘ease pressure on health and care’.
‘We know that services will be under pressure this week,’ Dr Bernie Marden, chief medical officer for NHS Somerset, said.
‘With Glastonbury Festival also taking place this week and expected warm weather, we are sharing a few reminders about simple steps people can take to look after themselves, and stay healthy and well.’
The main stages at Worthy Farm open today, with pop singer Dua Lipa headlining the Pyramid Stage this evening before rock band Coldplay and soul singer SZA play the stage tomorrow and on Sunday.
Dua Lipa will headline the British festival for the first time when she takes to the stage in Somerset this evening.
The 28-year-old is expected to treat revellers to a selection of her hit songs, including Houdini and Training Season from her third studio album, Radical Optimism, released earlier this year.
Squeeze will open the Pyramid Stage at midday today, followed by rising star Olivia Dean, K-pop group Seventeen and singer Paul Heaton.
LCD Soundsystem will then take to the stage at 7.45pm, ahead of Dua Lipa’s set.
The American rock band, whose hits include Dance Yrself Clean and All My Friends, last played Glastonbury in 2016 where they performed on the Other Stage.
Joe Wicks will take to the Park Stage at 10am today, to again more festival-goers through their paces, where he is hoping for crowds of up to 4,000.
The stage had been set to see Groove Armada last night before the electronic music duo were moved to other DJ slots due to the size of expected crowds.
The festival also includes art installations and attractions and this year revellers have been treated to Carhenge, a series of 24 mutated vintage car sculptures, and Arcadia’s fire-belching dragonfly installation, which had previously taken the form of a spider.