The impact of the heat has been seen and felt in most aspects of daily life, from raging wildfires and transport delays to an increase in heat-related deaths, and for many the cooldown will be welcomed.
The change is being brought about by a cold front that has been moving south-eastwards through Friday and Friday night, introducing winds from a cooler north-westerly direction, as well as bringing a few showers.
While a few spots in south-east England could still reach their heatwave temperature threshold values of 27 or 28 Celsius on Saturday, many areas will be 10-13 degrees Celsius cooler than on Thursday.
Much of the UK, away from the south-east, will see highs of 16-24C.
These values are around average for mid-August but, given the exceptional heat experienced by many areas so far this summer, may feel comparatively cool.
Most areas will be dry with sunny spells, although a few showers are likely in north-west Scotland and East Anglia.