UK weather: Final day of heatwave brings thunderstorm and flash flood risk

The UK is experiencing a short-lived heatwave with temperatures exceeding 30C, prompting health alerts across England. Forecasters expect a cold front to bring thunderstorms by midweek, though it is unlikely to end the ongoing drought conditions.
Why it matters
Extreme weather events and persistent drought conditions impact public health and infrastructure management in the UK.
Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Peter Barrett By Tomasz Schafernaker Lead Weather Presenter Published 4 August 2026, 00:28 BST The heatwave impacting parts of the UK this week continues into Tuesday with a risk of thunderstorms in some parts.
Pershore in Worcestershire and Cavendish in Suffolk hit three consecutive days of heatwave threshold temperatures on Monday and it is expected more parts of southern and eastern England will reach heatwave criteria on Tuesday.
Amber and yellow heat health alerts , external are in effect across much of England until 09:00 BST Wednesday, with temperatures expected to reach more than 30C in some areas.
The intense heat will be short lived though as a change in the weather pattern is on the way from midweek.
Image caption, The highest temperatures will be felt in southern and eastern England on Tuesday
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in