Will there be a UK heatwave on the August 2026 bank holiday? Latest Met Office weather forecast

WITH the August Bank Holiday a week away, Brits planning beer garden outings, coastal trips, or festival visits are keeping a close eye on the forecast. Following mid-August’s blistering temperatures, the latest Met Office updates show that something of a meteorological shift is underway. The Met Office’s latest blog notes that ‘after weeks of predominantly hot and dry weather,’ the pattern across the UK has shifted Credit: Alamy While early August brought scorching conditions, low pressure systems have broken the extreme heat Credit: PA That could make a Bank Holiday heatwave unlikely, but the upcoming long weekend still looks set to offer some optimism for those with plans outdoors. At the time of writing, the Met Office’s latest blog says that “after weeks of predominantly hot and dry weather,” the pattern across the UK has shifted. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! That has brought with it “a very different feel“, with a “noticeable drop in temperatures.” While early August brought scorching conditions, low pressure systems have broken the extreme heat, ushering in fresher, wetter conditions across many regions. What is the forecast for the August Bank Holiday? Looking ahead to the three-day weekend across August 29-31, the Met Office’s long-range forecast predicts a mixed bag. The week will start on a promising note, with conditions “largely dry and settled” as “a ridge of high pressure continues to extend across the country.” But forecasters say this calm spell will be brief as the long weekend approaches. The Met Office says the weather is likely to turn “more unsettled during the week and through to the turn of the month as low pressure becomes more dominant.” Most read in The Sun This change in pressure systems is set to bring “showers or longer spells of rain, perhaps heavy, to most if not all areas at times though still some sunny interludes.” The forecaster adds that conditions could become “possibly windy at times too.” Will there be a Bank Holiday heatwave? In the UK, an “official” heatwave is declared when a location meets or exceeds a specific daily maximum temperature threshold for at least three consecutive days. These thresholds vary by region to account for local climates, ranging from 25C in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and northern England up to 28C in London and the southeast. If temperatures fall short of the local benchmark on any of those three days, the spell fails to qualify. The Met Office’s long-range projection essentially rules out any prolonged extreme heat. It forecasts that overall temperatures will remain “likely near to average though varying.” But weather analysts say that there could still be “some short-lived warm and humid spells possible, especially in the south,” offering moments of summer warmth between unsettled weather fronts. While the Met Office’s long-range computer models provide an idea of the weather ahead of time, the forecast will firm up significantly as meteorologists get within three to five days of the Bank Holiday weekend. Comment now