A welcome break from intense heat will arrive on Monday before temperatures soar across much of England and Wales, marking the fifth heatwave of the year.

The week ahead is forecast to remain mostly dry, with some parts of southern England racking up nearly two months with no significant rain.

The National Drought Group – made up of regulators, government officials, water companies and agricultural bodies – will meet on later on Monday to decide if more regions will be declared to be in drought.

Half of England and the whole of Wales are already officially in drought, and with little rain in sight, the Environment Agency (EA) has suggested that additional areas of England could enter drought status.

The National Farmers Union has warned that continuing dry weather could lead to some food shortages.

River levels have continued to fall after less than 10mm of rain across England for the seventh consecutive week.

East and south-east England have seen less than 1mm of rain, according to data from the agency's latest drought summary.

Reservoir levels have also continued to reduce, with almost all across England below normal and five classed as 'exceptionally low', according to the EA.

Wisley in Surrey has gone more than 50 days without a drop of rain, while southern England is approaching two months without any notable rainfall.

However, north-west Scotland was soaked by more than half a month's rainfall in just two days, the Met Office said.

Much of the country will feel some relief from the heat early in the week before temperatures spike again.

On Monday, the air will feel a little fresher compared to the weekend with maximum temperatures in northern areas of the UK around 18 to 24C.

Further south, while cooler than Sunday, it will still be a very warm day with temperatures between 22 to 27C.

By Tuesday, warmer air will start to move back in across the UK with the highest temperatures across central southern England, the Midlands and east Wales.

Yellow heat-health alerts remain in force for much of England until 21:00 BST on Tuesday, though they are likely to be extended or upgraded as the heatwave nears.

Highs are likely to be around 27 to 30C.

Wednesday will see temperatures widely across England and Wales head into the high twenties and low thirties.

The peak of the extreme heat is set to arrive on Thursday, with temperatures reaching 36C (97F) in south-east England, and up to 35C likely across central and eastern England.

This would mark the fourth consecutive month where 35C has been reached in the UK – a new record.

Many locations will exceed their heatwave threshold of 25 to 28C – dependent on location – for the first day.

Some of the warmth will spread further north into northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland with temperatures into the low to mid-20s Celsius.

As heat builds throughout the week, overnight temperatures will stay relatively high bringing some uncomfortable nights for sleeping.

Minimum temperatures may not go lower than 16 to 18C across England and Wales.

There's also a possibility of a 'tropical night' – where temperatures remain above 20C all night – in south-east England.