London bakes in 34C: Is this the final heatwave of the year?

London is sweltering in its fifth heatwave of a record breaking summer, with temperatures hitting 34C on Friday.

The Met Office issued a rare amber “extreme heat” warning from 9am until midnight on Thursday, warning of a risk to life.

The hottest temperature of the year in the UK was recorded in London earlier this week, with the mercury hitting 38.1C in Kew Gardens on Thursday afternoon.

And it’s scorching again on Friday, with highs well above 30C in the capital.

More than 70% of the country is now in drought following a record dry July, and an August that has so far seen just 5% of expected rainfall.

London’s parks have been turned into “tinderbox” parched lands where wildfires can easily spread.

Sir Sadiq Khan has urged Londoners to create fire breaks in their gardens to protect their homes, while the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has also warned of the dangers that major blazes could start in people’s gardens.

Now, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has urged retailers to withdraw disposable barbecues from sale in an effort to prevent wildfires as the heatwave continues.

The Prime Minister urged “all retailers big and small” to pull the barbecues from their shelves as he warned extreme heat conditions “could be with us for some weeks yet”.

More than 1,000 wildfires have been recorded in England and Wales this year, according to data shared by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the same as last year’s record-breaking total.

Temperatures are due to fall to the mid 20s over the weekend, giving a welcome respite from the extreme heat for many.

But is this the final heatwave of an especially hot summer? Or is more boiling weather round the corner?

According to BBC Weather’s 14-day forecast for London, temperatures aren’t expected to exceed 26C from Saturday until at least August 26 – except for Monday, when 27C is forecast.

And we could even see a little rain next week, with some tipped to fall on London on Wednesday.

The Met Office, however, states that late August could see the return of high pressure, bringing hot and dry conditions yet again.

In their long term forecast, which covers August 28 through to September 11, the national forecaster says that temperatures will likely be above average and that some spells of hot weather and heatwaves are possible.

So while the extremely high temperatures may nearly be over for now, there remains a good possibility of a sixth heatwave later this summer.