Will the hot weather finally break this week in Aylesbury Vale? See what our expert forecaster says

Temperatures in excess of 30C were observed widely across much of England and Wales for several days.

A high of 34.5C was recorded in Wiggonholt, West Sussex, on Friday, August 12.

On Saturday, August 13, temperatures rose further, peaking at 34.9C in Charlwood, Surrey.

At MetDesk headquarters in Wendover, temperatures exceeded 30C for five consecutive days.

The high temperatures follow the driest July on record for England since 1935, with parts of central-southern England and the south-east seeing the driest July since records began.

Only February has seen above average rainfall in England this year.

The Environment Agency has officially declared drought conditions across Aylesbury Vale, with a number of long-range seasonal weather models indicating drier than normal conditions are possible across much of the south and east through the autumn.

Forty-seven per cent of the European Union is under drought warning conditions, with 15 per cent in severe water deficiency.

In France, over 100 towns are short of drinking water, and water levels on the Rhine in Germany are so low that shipping has been severely impacted in places.

In Portugal, 45 per cent of the country is in extreme drought, the highest classification.

Temperatures in both France and Spain soared last week, with highs exceeding 40C in places.

This week, temperatures have lowered, with some showers, but there are signs of another build of heat across Europe during the final week of August, with conditions becoming mainly dry.

Closer to home, the threat of heavy showers or thunderstorms will reduce.

Changeable conditions are expected for a time, but high pressure is anticipated to become more influential later in the month, bringing a lot of dry and settled weather, with temperatures close to or just above the seasonal average.