No heatwave on the horizon – just typical British summer weather

After July delivering the most prolonged spell of summer heat the UK has seen in 16 years, the first week of August has brought something much closer to normal.

Gone is the area of high pressure that took residence over us last month, bringing weeks of heat and sunshine.

It’s now been replaced by a more mixed weather pattern – often driven by low pressure sitting close by. This has meant that sunny and pleasantly warm days have been interspersed with rain or showers.

As I mentioned in a recent blog, the jet stream has moved southwards again. However, it’s not getting stuck. It’s going to wriggle around.

This is why the weather is going to be more mixed. When it wriggles north, it brings ridges of high pressure, sunshine and warmer air. When it wriggles south, it brings low pressure, rain and cooler air.

Any signs of a heatwave?

In recent days, you may have read online or in newspapers that another heatwave is imminent, with temperatures approaching the extremes that mainland Europe has been experiencing.

Having looked at the weather charts, there are no signs of any prolonged spells of heat for the next two weeks.

Given the mixed weather pattern, there will be some days that are sunnier and warmer than others, but temperatures of 30C or above look unlikely.

Towards the end of the month, there is a suggestion that a short spell of hot weather may return, but at the moment there is a lot of uncertainty, with the weather models varying day to day.

International Space Station

The International Space Station (ISS) has returned to our skies, with generally two passes each evening for the next 10 days – often taking place between 9pm and midnight.

You can see a list of times on the Heavens Above website, which also has an array of other interesting information about satellites and astronomy.

When looking for the ISS, the best advice is to look west in the sky for a fast-moving bright white light.

I’ll also be tweeting reminders about the ISS passes, as well as whether or not the skies will be clear enough to see it – @liamdutton