Cold front brings cooler, drier weather to much of the UK this weekend

A cold front advancing from the Atlantic will usher in cooler conditions and modest showers for parts of the UK from Thursday through the weekend, curbing the brief heatwave that peaked at 35.2 °C in Essex and Derbyshire. Despite the temperature dip, drought warnings stay in force across over half of England and sections of Wales, with more than 20 million people already subject to hosepipe bans. The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales highlighted low river flows, early harvests and heightened wildfire risk.

Scotland monitors water scarcity but has not declared drought, while northern Ireland remains unaffected. Rainfall is expected mainly in the north-west, where recent totals already exceed July averages, whereas the south and east may see little to no precipitation. Forecast models show uncertainty for any significant rain in the south, leaving the region largely dry.