A fourth heatwave of the year in London appears to be looming as temperatures rise yet again.
The capital has already sizzled in three extended bursts of hot weather in May, June and July - which have seen temperature records tumble.
The most recent, stretching nearly two weeks, has coincided with the longest dry spell in London in years.
That, combined with a lack of forecasted rain and high demand for water, has led Thames Water to impose a hosepipe ban in London.
After weeks of hot weather, causing uncomfortable nights for millions, this week has brought cooler conditions with temperatures expected to peak around 25C today (Thursday, July 23).
But the respite will have left many of asking: Is there another heatwave looming?
According to BBC Weather, the answer to that appears to be - yes.
At the time of writing (2pm on Thursday), their forecasters reckon London is set for three days of highs between 28C and 30C, from Tuesday, July 28 to Thursday, July 30.
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That would be enough to reach the threshold for a heatwave in the capital, which requires a temperature peak of at least 28C on three consecutive days.
There could even be a fifth earlier in August, with predictions of more 28C days after a dip in temperatures - with thunderstorms possible - over the first weekend of the month.
It comes as London Fire Brigade revealed they tackled three separate wildfires across London on Wednesday.
In Feltham, west London, around 40 firefighters spent over five hours battling a grass fire.
Six hectares of heathland were damaged by the fire.
In Hayes, west London, four fire engines and around 25 firefighters responded to a blaze off Cranford Lane. Crews worked for three hours and 40 minutes to bring the fire under control, with damage limited to a hectare of grass.
On the other side of the capital, around 25 firefighters spent just under two hours tackling a fire on Ingrebourne Hill, Rainham. Two hectares of grassland were destroyed by the fire.
Meanwhile, a drought has been officially declared in North Wales and the Upper Severn following record dry conditions.
It is the first part of the UK to declare drought status, after widespread dry weather and record-breaking heatwaves have hit swathes of the country this summer.
Parts of England are in prolonged dry weather status, with hosepipe bans in force for more than 23 million people from this weekend.
In Wales, exceptionally dry conditions have led to drying riverbeds, mounting concern from farmers about grazing and water availability, and significantly increased the risk of wildfires – with North Wales in particular experiencing a number of major blazes in recent weeks.
The areas affected by the drought status declaration include North Gwynedd, Ynys Mon, South Gwynedd, Dee (Wales), Clwyd, and Upper Severn.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW), the Welsh Government’s environmental agency, said the decision to trigger drought status follows continued hot, dry weather over recent weeks, with July on course to become the driest on record for Wales for almost 190 years without significant rainfall in the next week.
