UK Set For Late Summer Warmth This Weekend
Britain is heading into a spell of late summer warmth this weekend, with forecasters pointing to highs approaching the low thirties in southern England even as the calendar has already turned to meteorological autumn. The Met Office said conditions would stay mostly dry and increasingly sunny across large parts of the country moving into Friday
Britain is heading into a spell of late summer warmth this weekend, with forecasters pointing to highs approaching the low thirties in southern England even as the calendar has already turned to meteorological autumn. The Met Office said conditions would stay mostly dry and increasingly sunny across large parts of the country moving into Friday and through the weekend, offering a final burst of summer like weather before more unsettled conditions are expected to return.
London and the southeast have already seen a run of warm days this week, with temperatures reaching around twenty seven degrees on Thursday under a mix of cloud and very warm sunshine. Forecasters described conditions as feeling notably humid, a pattern expected to continue as high pressure builds further across the region heading into the weekend. Friday is expected to bring some patchy drizzle in the morning before brightening later in the day, with temperatures cooling only slightly to around twenty five degrees.
The warmest conditions of the week are expected to arrive on Saturday and Sunday, with the Met Office forecasting another fine and sunny day on Saturday before very warm sunshine develops further on Sunday, accompanied by breezier conditions in some areas. Southern England could see temperatures climb into the low thirties over the weekend, a notable spike given how far into September the warm spell is arriving.
This latest warm stretch follows what has already been one of the hottest years on record for the UK. The country experienced several widespread heatwaves earlier in the summer, with some regions recording among the hottest temperatures ever measured domestically. Spring 2026 ranked as the warmest on record for England and Wales, while June became the hottest June ever recorded in England, according to Met Office data reviewing the year's weather patterns so far.
Longer range forecasts released by the Met Office earlier in the summer had flagged the possibility of further late season warmth extending into September, though officials were careful to stress that such outlooks carry significant uncertainty. Forecasters noted at the time that atmospheric conditions leaned toward above normal temperatures for the period, with southern regions holding the strongest likelihood of experiencing continued warmth compared to the north.
A clear north south divide has characterized much of the UK's recent weather, with Scotland and Northern Ireland generally experiencing cooler, more unsettled conditions while southern and eastern England has seen the bulk of the warmest and driest weather. That pattern is expected to persist through the coming weekend, with northern areas more likely to see rain and cloud even as the south basks in late summer sunshine.
The Met Office has continued monitoring conditions closely given the unusually active pattern of heat this year, though officials say this weekend's warmth falls short of the exceptional temperatures recorded during the height of summer. Even so, forecasters have noted that the sustained mean temperature pattern this season has been made significantly more likely due to the influence of human caused climate change, according to recent scientific analysis referenced in the agency's seasonal review.
As the weekend approaches, residents across southern England can expect one more taste of summer warmth before autumn weather more firmly takes hold in the weeks ahead. Forecasters advise checking updated local forecasts closer to the weekend, since exact temperatures and the timing of any cooler changeover can shift as the pattern develops over the coming days.
