The heatwave is breaking down! Heavy showers and thunderstorms will effect southern counties this weekend and next week will start to see areas of low pressure moving in from off the Atlantic bringing spells of rain and heavy showers. There will be drier spells at times too and in any sunshine it will feel relatively pleasant although temperatures will be a lot cooler next week compared to this week...

Saturday morning has been cloudy across much of England and Wales with patchy rain in places. Scotland, Northern Ireland and north west England have had more in the way of sunshine and the warmest temperatures have been in the north west.

Through the rest of the day we'll see more dry weather in most places and the best of the sunshine will remain in the north and west. The south will have scattered heavy and thundery showers with a risk of scattered thunderstorms. Temperatures will range from 18C to 26C (64F to 79F) east to west.

Overnight, heavy showers and thunderstorms continue across the south east corner but the majority of the country will stay dry with a mix of clear spells and variable cloud. Temperatures will be cooler across northern and western regions with some parts of Scotland dropping into "single digits" but the south and south east will be warm and humid with temperatures in the upper teens Celsius.  

More heavy showers and thunderstorms will develop across south east England. The storms could push northwards to East Anglia and central/southern England at times tomorrow afternoon. The rest of the country will have another dry day with the best of the sunshine the further north and west you go. Temperatures range from 18C to 28C (64F to 82F) Northern Ireland will be hot again and could just about 30C (86F) locally.

Monday finds the UK sitting under a trough of low pressure. All places will be at risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms but they will be quite scattered so many places will miss them and stay dry with plenty of sunny spells. Storms are perhaps most likely for Scotland and less likely through the Midlands and eastern England? Temperatures will be warmer and humid ranging from 21C to to 27C (70F to 81F)

The trough continues to sit over the country on Tuesday. Showers and thunderstorms are possible almost anywhere and will probably be more widespread compared to the days before. We might even see some of the downpours merging into longer spells of rain in the south and across parts of Scotland. Temperatures 20C to 26C (68F to 79F)

A shallow area of low pressure moves in from the Atlantic on Wednesday. England and Wales will have more showers and some of them could be heavy and thundery. Scotland and Northern Ireland may have more general outbreaks of rain. Temperatures becoming cooler at 17C to 23C (63F to 72F)

Low pressure is sitting over and to the east of the country on Thursday bringing a cool and shower northwesterly winds. Northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland may find showers merging into longer spells of rain. Further south it won't be as wet but there will still be showers in places and some of them could be heavy. Cool with temperatures of 14C to 21C (57F to 70F)

Showers northwesterly winds continue on Friday. All places will be at risk of showers but the north and west could see those showers merging into longer spells of rain at times. Southern and eastern counties have the best chance of staying dry. Temperatures 14C to 21C.

Next weekend keeps the showery and rather cool theme going though in any sunshine it will still feel pleasantly warm.

Summary: Turning more unsettled with thunderstorms initially in the south and then showers or longer spells of rain becoming widespread. Temperature turning cooler as the week progresses.