Britons could be set to enjoy a new heatwave at the end of the month as temperatures are set to rise into the 70s with sunny spells returning after a cloudy weekend left many feeling grey.
While much of the UK will experience overcast weather for the next couple of weeks, Brits can look forward to clear skies in late August which will last until early September.
But for now, Britons will have to settle with some sunny spells in parts of the UK tomorrow as much of the country will be covered with cloud - but some may be lucky enough to see temperatures rise to 70F.
The east of England will see a few showers on Monday morning, and the rain clouds are set to move across to north Wales and northwest England.
But the rest of England will remain dry, with temperatures in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire reaching highs of 70F (21C) by Monday afternoon.
Southern parts of England, including East and West Sussex, will see temperatures reach 68F (20C) but it will remain overcast for most of Monday.
Meanwhile, western Scotland will see rain fall on Monday and the wet weather will remain throughout the night.
The overcast weather forecast is in stark contrast to the balmy 79F sunshine some Britons experienced today with sunseekers flocking to beaches.
After being stuck in below-average temperatures to much of August, Cavendish in Suffolk on Sunday recorded 79F (26C) heat in a small reprieve of poor summer weather conditions. Cambridge managed 77.2F (25.1C), the next highest temperature in the country.
Britons basked in balmy 79F sunshine today as good weather finally returned to some parts of the UK after a miserable start to the month with sunseekers flocking to beaches. Pictured: Lyme Regis in Dorset
The Met Office today said it would be '50/50' between a band of cloud and rain coming in from the west or an area of high pressure pushing up and keeping staycationers happy with temperatures in the high-70s. Pictured: West Bay in Dorset
Forecasters are predicting a few days of dry weather for much of England before things turn 'hugely uncertain' into next weekend.
The Met Office on Sunday said it would be '50/50' between a band of cloud and rain coming in from the west or an area of high pressure pushing up and keeping staycationers happy with temperatures in the high-70s.
Riders in Brighton's 15th annual Naked Bike Ride however chose to make the most of the warm weather as they cycled in the nude around the city on Sunday.
The ride certainly caught the attention of residents and passersby, with many chuckles and lots of photos taken with camera phones as people line the streets. The ride was to highlight climate change and the value of low-impact living.
The Met Office had predicted many parts of the UK will be covered in cloud this weekend, with some breaks in the gloomier weather in southern parts of the country and sunny spells in the south.
Meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: 'There is a lot of cloud across the UK this weekend, some rain but by no means a washout, there will be plenty of dry weather as well.
'Early morning Scotland sees showers continue as well as the breeze. Away from the showers there will be some clear spells and temperatures into the single figures.'
Further sunny spells are to be expected from Monday - but thicker clouds and patchy rain will persist from the northwest later on.
Tuesday is also set to bring more sunshine and the continuation of warm temperatures, with cloud and rain in some areas.
Past this point the weather becomes more uncertain, with England potential on path to be hit by a band of rain from the west - although an area of high pressure from the south could still come to the rescue.
But Brits shouldn't ditch the suncream just yet - as forecasters are predicting another heatwave at the end of August that will last unto September.
Forecasters believe that the cooler and overcast weather across the UK will continue for the next two weeks, but afterwards, there will be clear skies and soaring temperatures.
Higher pressure in the Atlantic is likely to build across the UK towards the end of this month, which will give us 'a warmer, drier, and sunnier end of meteorological summer,' forecasters said.
The MeteoGroup long-range forecast, published by the BBC, said: 'Heading into September, the forecast confidence remains pretty low.
'We think low pressure will return, but the timing is proving tricky to pin down and we may see prolonged dry weather to start out the autumn.'
The mercury had been steadily rising since Friday after a fairly wet week, but now forecasters predict a few days of dry weather before things turn 'hugely uncertain' into next weekend
Riders in Brighton's 15th annual Naked Bike Ride however chose to make the most of the warm weather as they cycled in the nude around the city
The Met Office had predicted many parts of the UK will be covered in cloud this weekend, with some breaks in the gloomier weather in southern parts of the country and sunny spells in the south
The conditions stand in contrast to much of southern Europe which has seen temperatures skyrocket to extremes, with the Italian island of Sicily recording a staggering 48.8C on Wednesday, topping the previous 48C high of Athens in 1977.
Spain endured its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures topping 113F (45C), while authorities in Italy expanded the number of cities on red alert for health risks to 16, as a heatwave engulfed southern Europe.
The hottest temperature by late afternoon was recorded in Ecija, Seville, at 115.7F (46.5C), just shy of the country's all-time record of 116.42F (46.9C) hit in Cordoba in July 2017.
Europe's heat record came in Athens in 1977 at 118.4F (48C).
Spain has endured its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures hitting 113F (45C) across the country. The highest figure - 115.7F (46.5C) - was recorded in Ecija, Seville
Ice cream parlours did a brisk trade, and some restaurants installed sprinklers to spray mists of water over sweating guests. Others searched for water fountains in Madrid
Intense heat is threatening to spark wildfires across Europe's southern coast today, as temperatures along the Mediterranean soared over 100F. Pictured: A resident battles flames in the town of Robledillo, central Spain
Dramatic pictures from the village of Azuebar, near Valencia on Spain's east coast, show a helicopter dumping payloads of water on a forest fire that started a day before. At least 500 hectares were destroyed in the fire and the village's residents had to be evacuated
Floods in Turkey are the latest in a bout of extreme weather in the Mediterranean which has baked in blistering temperatures this week and which are expected to rise again on Friday as the 'Lucifer' heat dome continues to grip southern Europe
In Robledillo, a town just north of Madrid, fires broke in bushes and trees that threatened neighbouring houses.
Some 191 soldiers of the Spanish Emergency Unit were sent to help local firefighters to deal with the blaze.
There were also dramatic pictures from the village of Azuebar, near Valencia on Spain's east coast, where a helicopter was seen dumping payloads of water on a forest fire that started a day before. At least 500 hectares were destroyed in the fire and the village's residents had to be evacuated
In the southern Spanish province of Granada however, where the mercury rose to 114F (45.4C), few people ventured outside.
Those who did sought shade and stopped to take photos of public thermometers displaying the rocketing temperatures.
And in Italy, authorities raised concerns about older adults and other people at risk as they expanded heat warnings to 16 cities.
Temperatures over 110F were forecast for the Sicilian cities of Palermo and Catania, and as high as 98F (37C) for Rome, Florence and Bologna, all places that the health ministry put on red alert.
Italians sought respite at the sea and in the mountains from the aptly named Lucifer anti-cyclone that was bringing hot air from Africa during Italy's peak summer holiday weekend.
High temperatures were forecast to continue through Sunday, the traditional Ferragosto holiday on the religious feast of the Assumption of Mary, which marks the summer holiday exodus from Italian cities.
July was the hottest month EVER recorded on Earth say NOAA officials
One month after North America set a record for the hottest June ever, July topped it, becoming the hottest month in recorded history, officials said on Friday - days after a dire climate change report from the UN.
The combined land and ocean-surface temperature was 1.67F (0.93C) above the 20th-century average of 60.4 (15.8C), the hottest since record keeping started 142 years ago, according to data released from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released on Friday.
The combined temperature was 0.02F above the previous record, which was initially set in July 2016, then tied in July 2019 and July 2020, the agency added.
NOAA also noted the land-surface temperature in the Northern Hemisphere was 2.77F above average last month, surpassing the record from 2012
July 2021 has become the hottest July ever and the hottest month in recorded history, NOAA said on Friday
