A fourth heatwave of the year is now under way for parts of the UK, with temperatures expected to climb into the mid-30s Celsius later this week.

This latest spell of heatwave threshold-level temperatures is expected to peak on Wednesday in the south-east and east of England.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned the rising temperatures could increase health risks, particularly for vulnerable groups.

It has issued amber heat health alerts, external for much of eastern England that come into force on Wednesday.

The heatwave will not be felt in all parts of the country, with clouds and outbreaks of rain continuing in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England.

The hot weather will be focused on central, southern and eastern England on Tuesday thought it may spread slightly northwards and westwards into midweek.

Temperatures in England and Wales are forecast to rise to around 25-32C for the next few days with Wednesday likely to see the peak, with readings of 30-35C across the Midlands, southern and eastern England.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will generally remain cooler and showery with temperatures in the high teens or low to mid-20s Celsius.

Current forecasts suggest that the intense heat across southern and central parts of the UK this week will be short-lived compared to the three previous widespread heatwaves this summer.

Some isolated showers may arrive later in the week.

July 2026 has been notably hot. The Met Office says the UK mean temperature so far this month is 17.5C, which currently makes it the second hottest of any month on record, behind only July 2006 (17.8C).

The ongoing heat means the East Midlands, East of England, London, and the South East are all under amber alerts heat health alerts from 09:00 on Wednesday until 09:00 Thursday.

The UKHSA warns that significant impacts are likely across health and social care services due to the high temperatures, especially as much of July has seen temperatures well above average by day and by night.

Yorkshire and the Humber, the West Midlands and the South West are all under less severe yellow alerts for the same period.

An ongoing lack of rain means hosepipe bans are in force for millions of households and dry vegetation has provided fuel for wildfires to burn in a number of areas.

Though there was some rain this weekend, the driest locations – including central, southern and eastern England – saw little, if any, meaningful rainfall.

According to the Met Office, rainfall in England this month is at 4.4mm, one of the lowest levels on record, behind only February 1891 (3.3mm) and tied with June 1925 (4.4mm).

Rainfall levels in Wales, where drought was triggered last week in some parts, are so low that July 2026 is currently the fourth driest of any month since records began.

As this next spell of hot weather develops across England and Wales, the lack of significant rain means dry ground and low soil moisture levels are likely to become an increasing concern.

Wisley in Surrey has been one of the driest locations in south-east England with 40 days of no rain as of 27 July.

Though some isolated showers are expected later in the week, there is no significant rain in the forecast.

You can check the latest for your area on the BBC Weather website or app.