A sixth heatwave of 2026 will arrive by next Tuesday, with large areas of central and southern England likely to see highs of 30C (86F) to 33C (91F), Met Office forecasters said. Yellow heat health alerts have been issued for the East Midlands, West Midlands, South East, South West, East of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London. Before then, thundery showers are set to batter the North and Scotland – but central and southern England are likely to miss out on most of the much-needed rain. A slight dip in temperatures is expected next Monday, reaching around 27C (81F) to 29C (84F) across southern England. Nineteen counties across England recorded effectively no rainfall – 1mm or less – across the whole of the month, Met Office figures show.