Much of the UK has enjoyed – or endured – a heatwave this week, but the warm weather is set to end over the weekend, forecasters have said.

This week began with hot weather for many and Tuesday was the hottest day of the year so far, with 32C recorded in London’s Kew Gardens and Heathrow.

Temperatures have remained high since, even amid thunderstorms and heavy downpours on Thursday night – which saw almost a month’s worth of rainfall in an hour in Greater London, according to the Met Office.

It will finally get cooler over the weekend though, as rain showers are expected to sweep eastwards across the UK and Ireland tonight and in the early hours of Saturday morning.

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This will “lower temperatures back to normal for the time of year but it will feel pleasant enough in any sunny spells,” Sky News meteorologist Kirsty McCabe said.

“Things are set to turn more unsettled later on Sunday, as low pressure moves in bringing brisk winds and heavy rain for Monday,” she continued.

“And for much of next week, this mobile westerly pattern continues with the wettest and windiest conditions in the northwest, while further south and east will tend to be drier and brighter, though some heavy showers are possible.”

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While July ended with a mini-heatwave, overall it was a cooler-than-average month for the UK, the Met Office has said.

There was also a below-average amount of sunshine for many.

A UK heatwave is declared when a location records at least three successive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold – which varies by county.

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Met Office scientist Emily Carlisle said: “The start of July continued June’s theme of cooler than average weather, but with the addition of more wet conditions.

“Low pressure across the UK led to unsettled weather at the beginning of the month and several frontal systems brought bands of rain.

“Areas of southwest, southeast and northeast England had already received more than the average July rainfall by the 15th.”

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