Much of UK in for reprieve from hot weather as heatwave starts coming to an end
Temperatures which have exceeded 30C in several parts of the country and broken multiple records over the weekend are widely forecast to cool.
People enjoy the hot weather in Bristol (Ben Birchall/PA)
'The heatwave is starting to come to an end as low pressure starts to move in from the Atlantic,' Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said.
'We say goodbye to high pressure as this area of low pressure takes over, bringing bands of heavy rain, some thundery downpours, but also bringing in some fresher conditions across many parts.'
Central and eastern parts of England are expected to hold on to the warmth on Monday, with forecasts of 25C-26C, while East Anglia and south-east England could potentially hit 30C.
But the rest of the UK is expected to see temperatures ranging between 18C and 22C.
Doris, a Devon Rex cat, perches on a windowsill next to a portable fan (Yui Mok/PA)
Northern England and southern Scotland are most likely to see heavy downpours and some rumbles of thunder but forecasters say there will be plenty of sunny spells developing across the UK through the day.
The peak of the heatwave hit on Saturday, when Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all recorded their warmest day of the year so far – with Scotland and Northern Ireland reaching temperatures they have not hit in years.
Although the hot weather continued on Sunday, temperatures did drop slightly as forecast.
Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire hit 30.8C while Achnagart in the Scottish Highlands reached 30.4C, Cardiff's Bute Park 30.2C and Castlederg in Co Tyrone 27.1C.
The heatwave saw fire and rescue teams tackling wildfires in London, Surrey, and Perth in Scotland, and a hosepipe ban come into force in Yorkshire, with similar restrictions issued for Kent and Sussex from July 18.
Oasis fans were told on Friday to prepare for extreme sun and heat ahead of the band's sets at Heaton Park in Manchester while penguin chicks at London Zoo cooled off with their first dip in the big pool.
Sport was disrupted by the heat, with multiple pauses of play at Wimbledon as tennis fans required medical attention and Thursday's England versus India cricket match at Lord's briefly stopped after an influx of ladybirds – which are said to be in high numbers because of the heat – distracted players.
A host of warnings were issued over dangers arising out of the hot temperatures.
A swimmer in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool 35 metres above ground between two apartment buildings in Nine Elms, south London (James Manning/PA)
Fire chiefs urged people to stay safe as they warned of the increased risk of wildfires and drowning, with the National Fire Chiefs Council asking people not to enter water to try to cool down and urging parents and carers to ensure children are supervised around water at all times.
HM Coastguard issued safety advice for people heading to the coast, as data from the water incident database shows most drownings happened in July over the last three years.
National Rail warned train passengers that the hot weather might cause disruption during the weekend.
And the RNLI warned beachgoers that, despite the heat, there is still a risk of cold water shock.
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