Cooler conditions and some rain are forecast for parts of the UK from Thursday into the weekend as a cold front moves in. However, areas officially in drought, which include more than half of England and parts of Wales, are not expected to receive significant rainfall.
Wednesday saw the latest UK heatwave peak, with temperatures soaring to 35.2C at Writtle in Essex. This marked the hottest day in over two weeks, matching the 35.2C recorded in Cotton in the Elms, Derbyshire, on 10 July.
Drought was declared across more than half of England on Wednesday due to the impact of hot, dry weather on water supplies. The Environment Agency's announcement covered much of central, eastern, and southern England, indicating that further water use restrictions might follow. North Wales and the Upper Severn river basin also entered drought conditions last week.
While the cold front will drop temperatures below the heatwave threshold for many areas, East Anglia and south-east England may still see temperatures reach the high 20s or possibly 30C on Thursday. For Friday and the weekend, central and eastern England are expected to reach the mid-20s, with Sunday potentially seeing temperatures rise into the high 20s again.