For the vast majority of the UK Friday will see a continuation of the dry and sunny conditions of recent days, with temperatures widely into the mid-20s Celsius, possibly peaking around 28C on Friday.

A change from the west at first

From Friday afternoon, the hint of an upcoming change in weather type is likely to affect western parts of Northern Ireland at first, with thundery showers likely and a possibility of some heavy bursts of rain, with around 25mm of rain possibly falling within an hour in some spots.

Whilst there is a chance of this risk extending into parts of Wales and perhaps the southwest of England on Friday afternoon the majority of these places will remain dry, though cloudier than recently. The risk of more showers and perhaps some thunder does increase in these areas overnight and into Saturday however. There is then a trend to more showers and thunderstorms through the weekend.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Steven Keates said: “Over the coming days we’ll be transitioning to a more unsettled regime for the UK, though temperatures will remain high and it’ll feel very humid for many.

“Heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely to become more frequent through the weekend, with the potential for associated hail, lightning and some gusty winds. While the focus of thundery showers on Friday afternoon will be Northern Ireland, that risk spreads more widely across western and southern areas of the UK on Saturday, before pushing further north on Sunday. As in many of these situations, these showers can be hit or miss, with some places avoiding them whilst other areas nearby may see some very wet conditions.”

“There’s an ongoing likelihood of warnings being issued in the coming days, so keep an eye on the weather forecast for the latest outlook.”

Though details are still being determined on the positioning of the heaviest thundery downpours, in excess of 40mm could fall in some places in a relatively short period of time on Saturday and Sunday. The most likely exception to the unsettled shift in the weather is northeast parts of Scotland, which will hold on to the dry weather the longest.

Remaining warm

Despite the shift to more thundery conditions, a plume of warm air is still influencing the UK weather, with temperatures through the weekend likely to remain in the mid-to-high 20 Celsius for some, though some places could dip slightly below the threshold for the official heatwave to continue.

Accompanied with warm days, night-time temperatures will remain well above average; providing little relief to those more vulnerable to high temperatures. The UK Health Security Agency, which covers the healthcare sector in England, has a Heat Health Alert in force.

Help to protect the vulnerable people that you know including older people, those with underlying conditions and those who live alone; they may need support to keep cool and hydrated. For more advice check out the NHS advice on how to cope in hot weather.  

Further ahead

Although the details of the forecast are still being determined, the risk of heavy, thundery showers for some is likely to continue into early next week, with temperatures remaining above average for the time of year.