By Elizabeth Haigh For Mailonline
Published: 10:11 EDT, 19 August 2022 | Updated: 10:24 EDT, 19 August 2022
The UK will see sunshine and showers over this weekend ahead of a settled and warm bank holiday weekend, with the possibility of hitting 30C in some areas of the south east.
This week's rollercoaster of weather is set to calm down as the country will see sun and the odd rain shower ahead of the August bank holiday weekend.
As the UK enters next week, Met Office forecasters are predicting highs in the mid-twenties, as high pressure keeps building to create a more settled weather pattern than we have seen this week.
Hot weather at the beginning of last week gave way to torrential rain and thunderstorms which caused flash flooding in London and other parts of the UK.
A child enjoys sunflowers at Sunnyfields Farm in Totton, near Southampton in a British summer that has seen the hottest temperatures on record
As the weather begins to settle into next week, the high temperatures and dry conditions mean British parks are already beginning to look like autumn as leaves fall early to the ground
There will be plenty more opportunities for fun on the beach on the bank holiday weekend, with temperatures set to peak in the mid-20s
Beachgoers can expect to enjoy very warm temperatures, but are advised to always check the safety and water quality of their local beach before entering the water
Soil in fields across the UK has become so dry that large cracks have opened up in its surface, posing a trip risk if not noticed
There will be more rain in large parts of England and Wales on Monday, but this will quickly dry up and do little to help the nine regions currently in drought conditions.
Despite sunshine for much of the week and over the bank holiday weekend, there is no repeat of July's sweltering temperatures on the cards.
But Britons can still look forward to a weekend of very warm weather and sun as many enjoy an extra day off work.
A Met Office spokesperson said: 'Monday will see wet weather across much of England and Wales, but the southeast of England will continue to be the driest part of the country.
'As we move through next week there is a chance of high pressure developing to the west of the UK which will help settle conditions down again.
'We are not expecting higher temperatures such as we've seen earlier this month and in July. It's unlikely that we will see the highs of temperatures that we have seen earlier in the year.
'There are early signs that things could be relatively calm with the high pressure influencing the weather over the bank holiday weekend.'
The weather next week is set to be brought by offshore winds, specifically an arctic maritime air mass which comes from the north of the UK.
According to the Met Office spokesperson, this means the type of weather and temperatures will be completely different to the previously scorching heatwaves seen this summer.
They added the Met Office is currently forecasting a high of around 26C for parts of the Bank Holiday Weekend, although forecasts are often not exactly right a week in advance, meaning actual temperatures could be slightly higher or lower.
British Weather Services senior meteorologist Jim Dale says temperatures could reach the high twenties.
Mr Dale said: 'As it looks from the models now, around the bank holiday temperatures could be in the high 20s and the extreme would be 30C degrees.
At Wimbledon Common in south west London, grass is completely yellow and parched - and even disappearing in some places
The water level at Beacons Reservoir in central southern Wales is far lower than usual at this time of year, with its cracked, dry waterbed exposed
Further hot weather is expected to hit over the bank holiday weekend, with temperatures peaking at around 30C
'The southern areas might see 25 degrees, 26 degrees, 27 degrees, and the odd 28 or 29 degrees, with the extreme getting to 30 degrees.'
The cooler temperatures will come as a relief to many after a scorching heatwave last week saw highs of 36C. Just a few weeks earlier, the UK's hottest ever temperature on record was recorded in London as above 40C for the first time.
The warm, dry weather is of little help amidst the driest summer since 1976, as 35million are to be under hosepipe bans by the end of the month and 30.7million are officially living in drought.
The water regulatory body Ofwat said 20million people would be living under a hosepipe ban by the end of August a week ago, on August 12.
This was prior to the announcement by Thames Water that a hosepipe ban from August 24 would affect a further 15million people.
Drought conditions allow the National Drought Group (NDG) to put in place special measures to limit the UK's water supply and try and protect animals.
The group can perform an 'emergency fish rescue' in drying out lakes and rivers, impose limits on the amount of water that water companies can take from rivers, and even ration water in a severe situation.
This is the first drought declared in the UK since 2018 – although that one was rapidly brought to an end by heavy rain - but despite torrential downpours and thunderstorms this week, much of southern England is unlikely to see significant rain until September.
There is no single definition for a drought or set of measures that must be met. Instead, the National Drought Group (NDG) looks at rainfall, water supplies in rivers, reservoirs and lakes and temperature forecasts.
If they decide the factors have combined in a certain way to warrant a warning, they will raise the alarm and offer a prediction of how severe the drought will be and how long it will last.
The length of a drought is difficult to predict, but this one is expected to last until at least October.
Even after rain starts falling it takes weeks and months for reservoirs and underground groundwater to replenish again, meaning Britain could stay in drought status for quite some time.
Sunshine and showers, then night will follow day..
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual.
Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline?
Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual
We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook.
You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.
Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd
Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group