Brisk 31mph wind gusts to cool down London heatwave

Brisk north-easterly winds have resulted in a brief lull in the summer heatwave

The ongoing heatwave has eased off slightly in London, with temperatures expected to peak at 27C on Monday (July 13). Although it’s still around the threshold for heatwave conditions, it’s significantly more manageable than the highs of 36C recorded earlier this month.

BBC Weather said brisk north-easterly winds are behind this trend, which has seen temperatures drop across the UK. This is most pronounced in Scotland, with the mercury expected to peak at 18C today in Aberdeen, but weather maps are predicting cooler conditions for the eastern half of the UK.

The Met Office is forecasting wind gusts of between 29 and 31mph before they drop off on Tuesday, July 14. Temperatures are set to ramp up again, with highs of 30C once again expected in the capital.

This will also result in an uncomfortable night for many with highs of 19C, almost marking another ‘tropical night’ during the record-breaking summer. The Met Office then expects Wednesday and Thursday to bring similar highs of 29C before the heatwave begins to tail off on Friday with cloud and a peak of 27C.

Cloudy conditions will continue throughout the weekend as the mercury slides further to 25C on both Saturday and Sunday.

Researchers from Imperial College London, the Met Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine found more than 2,700 people have died from heat-related causes during the hot weather this year.

The Met Office said both heatwave events in May and late June into early July were caused by the impacts of global warming.

Dr Mark McCarthy, manager of climate attribution at the Met Office, said: “2026 has been exceptional for the two early-season heatwaves in May and June. These have smashed records that had stood from May 1944 and June 1976 respectively. For the time of year, these events were extreme, even in our warmer climate.

“However, it is clear that human-caused climate change is leading to more frequent and more intense summer heatwaves. This intensification is driving many impacts, including those affecting human health and mortality and other issues, such as agriculture, effects on transport infrastructure and biodiversity.”

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