Temperatures to reach 25C today in UK ahead of third heatwave beginning tomorrow - as Yorkshire Water announces hosepipe ban from Friday
The Met Office said the incoming hot weather will be more widespread and longer lasting than the previous two heatwaves this summer in mid-June and early July.
Today will be the last day of fresher weather with lows of only 2C (36F) in Scotland overnight and the mercury reaching 25C (77F) this afternoon in South East England.
Tomorrow, the heatwave under the Met Office 's criteria will officially begin with highs of 28C (82F) expected in parts of central and eastern England and eastern Wales.
Temperatures will build towards the end of this week with 30C (86F) by Thursday and 33C (91F) on Friday - with 30C also expected on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
An official heatwave is recorded when areas reach a certain temperature for three consecutive days, with thresholds varying from 25C to 28C in different areas.
It comes as Yorkshire Water today announced hosepipe restrictions will be brought in from Friday in an effort to protect water supplies ahead of a predicted warm summer.
The organisation – which supplies 5.7million customers - said the region has had both the driest and warmest spring on record this year, receiving just 15cm (5.9in) of rain between February and June, less than half what is expected in an average year.
Higher water demand has also resulted in its reservoirs being left 55.8 per cent full, which is 26.1 per cent lower than they would normally be at this time of year, it said.
This week, temperatures are not expected to beat the 35.8C (78.4F) at Faversham in Kent on July 1 during the last heatwave - the UK's hottest day in three years.
That beat the warmest day of 2024 which was 34.8C (94.6F) in Cambridge on August 12; and the 2023 peak which was 33.5C (92.3F) in Faversham on September 10.
The 2022 high of 40.3C (104.5F) on July 19 in Lincolnshire remains the UK's highest temperature on record.
There were more than 3,000 heat-related deaths in England over the summer that year and a spike in destructive wildfires.
Meanwhile forecasters warned of a possible tropical night over the coming week which happens when temperatures stay above 20C (68F) through the night.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: 'High pressure from the Atlantic will gradually exert its influence over the UK this week.
'We'll see temperatures build day-on-day, with the potential for hot conditions to become quite widespread by the end of the week and into the weekend.
'On Wednesday, temperatures could reach up to 28C in parts of England, climbing to 30C on Thursday and 32C by Friday. By this stage, heatwave criteria are likely to be met in parts of England and Wales, and in parts of Scotland over the weekend.'
Mr Holley said high temperatures would likely to persist into the weekend, especially away from coasts with onshore winds - reaching the low-30Cs in parts of England and Wales, and accompanied by 'rising humidity and warmer nights'.
He continued: 'This heatwave is likely to last longer than previous ones so far this summer, and affect a wider area, with the focus for some of the highest temperatures displaced across more central and western areas at times.'
Mr Holley said pollen and UV levels will also be 'very high' in some areas.
Forecasters believe there are signs that less hot, or fresher, conditions may arrive from the west into the start of next week, but there is uncertainty over how quickly this will transfer eastwards
The Met Office said it was possible that 'hot conditions may persist for a while longer, especially towards the South and East'.
But the UK is expected to avoid the stifling weather of the low 40Cs seen in the Mediterranean over the past few weeks.
As for the hosepipe ban, Yorkshire Water's director of water Dave Kaye said: 'We need to take action now to help conserve water and protect Yorkshire's environment.
'That means from Friday this week, people across Yorkshire will need to stop using their hosepipes to water their gardens, wash their cars or for any other activities.
'Introducing these restrictions is not a decision we have taken lightly, and we've been doing everything we can to avoid having to put them in place.'
He continued: 'Our region experienced an extremely dry spring, which resulted in the region entering drought status in June.
'Usually, spring is a time when our groundwater sources and reservoirs continue to be topped-up by changeable weather, but this has not been the case in 2025, with our reservoir stocks falling since the last week of January.
'Of course, we have seen a few periods of changeable weather more recently, which helped slightly with the water resources picture. But these have been followed by constant high temperatures and more dry weather, which causes increased water usage.
'We're grateful to our customers, who have been saving water where they can this year already. It is really important that we all continue to do so.'
The temporary restrictions in Yorkshire coming into force from Friday include using a hosepipe to water gardens and wash private vehicles, fill domestic pools or clean outdoor surfaces.
People can still wash their car and water their gardens using tap water from a bucket or watering can, while businesses will be allowed to use a hosepipe if it is directly related to a commercial purpose.
'These restrictions are intended to make sure that we have enough supply for the essential needs of people across the region this year and next, as well as making sure we're able to protect our local environment,' Mr Kaye said.
'With more dry weather forecast in the coming weeks, it is likely our stocks will continue to fall so we need to act now to maintain clean water supplies and long-term river health.
'Having restrictions in place also allows us to apply for drought permits from the Environment Agency, which means we can abstract more water from our rivers and reduce compensation flows out of our reservoirs so that we can continue to provide the water our customers rely on us for.
'The restrictions will come into effect on 11 July and will be in place until the region has seen significant rainfall to bring reservoirs and groundwater stocks back to where they need to be. This may last into the winter months, but we will lift the usage restrictions as soon as we are able.'
Last month, the Environment Agency declared Yorkshire had officially moved to 'drought' status, following a prolonged period of low rainfall.
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