Overview
- The Met Office said the short, record‑breaking May heatwave ended on Saturday and temperatures have started to fall from the highs seen earlier this week.
- Weather maps show a roughly 30‑hour period of heavy rain moving across the UK from about 1pm on Monday June 1 until around 7pm on Tuesday June 2, with 34 English counties flagged for particularly heavy downpours.
- Early June is expected to be cooler and more unsettled, with daytime highs returning to near seasonal averages of about 17–21°C and spells of rain, showers, possible thunderstorms and strengthening winds.
- The heatwave left clear human and infrastructure impacts: a record 35.1°C was measured at Kew Gardens, multiple open‑water deaths have been reported (at least 14), and South East Water said thousands in Kent faced supply issues though most supplies have now been largely restored.
- Long‑range guidance points to a credible chance of high pressure and renewed warmth around mid‑June, from about June 13, but forecasters stress this outcome remains conditional and model uncertainty means cooler alternatives remain possible.