Is the UK heatwave over?

After months of record-high temperatures, the rain has arrived, putting a dampener on summer picnics and barbeques.

“Clouds billowing up from the continent are dousing London and East Anglia in rain and temperatures have fallen significantly, down to 16-17 degrees”, says The Independent.

The tepid weather is set to continue for the time being, as the rest of the working week “will certainly bring cooler, more changeable conditions - a mix of sunshine and showers with temperatures nearer average for this time of year”, say ITV News.

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On the whole, “the weekend looks generally unsettled, with some wet and at times fairly windy weather spreading across from the west”, adds the broadcaster.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: “Temperatures are looking much nearer to normal.

"But it’s too soon to say if the heatwave is coming to an end. It’s not really possible to say at the moment.”

One forecaster, Richard Miles, told The Independent that although temperatures have fallen, it does not mean the barbecue season is over for the UK.

“Summer isn’t over yet,” he said. “Conditions are still average to above average in temperature and the rain is what you’d expect in August really.”

But he added: “The heat (in the coming days) is going to be nothing like we’ve been experiencing recently, especially in the south east. It might get warmer again later in August, but at the moment we’re not looking at a return to that sort of heat.”

Warmer than average temperatures are expected to extend into the autumn, says the Daily Express, although “the country may be divided, as the north and northwest sees the driest of the weather, while the south may see occasional showers and thunderstorms at times”.

The Met Office's long-range weather forecast, for the next 30 days, states: “Temperatures are likely to be above normal, and many areas may become warm or very warm, with an increased risk of hot spells also returning.”