England faces fifth heatwave of 2026 next week

England and Wales are set to enter their fifth heatwave of the year next week, with temperatures forecast to reach 35°C — a frequency that would have been historically exceptional but is becoming a recurring feature of British summers. The run of heat events is straining public health infrastructure and pushing drought risk higher heading into autumn. Puerto Rico is already rationing water for over 180,000 households after severe drought has depleted its reservoirs.