London could be set for six days of rainfall, according to the latest from BBC Weather. The next handful of days will round July out with another heatwave, with the UK Health Security Agency issuing a heat health warning, but early to mid-August could give some respite.
Rain forecast from August 4 to 9
Between August 4 and 9, the forecast suggests rain each day, though it is not a certainty. Not only are those dates far enough in the future that forecasts could change dramatically, but BBC Weather operates on a likelihood scale. For instance, on Tuesday 4 August, the highest likelihood of rain is 38% at around 5pm. The forecast includes rain so that residents can plan accordingly if it turns out to be a wet day.
Current heatwave conditions
In the meantime, dry conditions persist. Temperatures remain dry and hot. This is the fourth time this summer that temperatures have soared to heatwave levels, with record-breaking temperatures for the month in both May and June and another significant hot spell in mid-July. July has been 3C above average across the UK, according to provisional Met Office data on the month so far, potentially putting it among the hottest three or four months of July on record.
Drought and wildfire risks
Southern England has had just 1% of its average July rainfall, while England has had 5% and the UK as a whole 20%, according to the Met Office. The heat and ongoing dry conditions pose risks to health and have led to hosepipe bans for 23 million customers, while even water companies without bans in place are telling households to conserve water. Drought has been declared across a swathe of Wales. Crops and livestock grazing are under pressure, and the UK is braced for further wildfires.
Wildfires in UK and Europe
The third heatwave in mid-July left firefighters battling 19 significant blazes simultaneously in England and Wales, while the Cairngorms in Scotland have been hit by a major wildfire. Blazes have wrought destruction in mainland Europe this week, with 220,000 people forced out of their homes in south-west France and 116,000 evacuated in Spain. Across the UK and Europe, the world's fastest warming continent, people face rising risks of extreme weather such as heat and drought, fuelled by human-caused climate change, mostly from burning fossil fuels.
Recent rainfall in north and northwest
Some parts of the UK had rain over the weekend, mainly in the north and northwest, with 33mm (1.3in) falling on Sunday at Charterhall in the Scottish Borders, and Altnahinch Filters in Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, receiving 17mm (0.7in).
