Britain faces thunderstorms and four inches of rain from midday today despite warm weather continuing for the rest of this week after the hottest day of the year so far.
The Met Office has issued a 36-hour weather warning amid concerns some areas could see up to a month’s rainfall in a few hours, resulting in flash flooding.
It comes after yesterday was the UK’s warmest day of 2024 so far with a temperature of 32.0C (89.6F) recorded in London at both Kew Gardens and Heathrow Airport.
Highs of 30C (86F) will continue today and tomorrow, with thunderstorms expected in the South East today and then across much of England and Wales tomorrow.
Met Office meteorologist Becky Mitchell said: ‘The heat and humidity we’ve got across England and Wales is going to spark off some thundery showers on Wednesday and Thursday so we’ve got some yellow weather warnings in force.’
Visitors pack out Brighton beach in East Sussex yesterday to enjoy the hot weather
Three women enjoy the warm weather at Greenwich Park in South East London yesterday
There is a risk of flooding in some parts of the country, but the exact locations under threat are not yet clear because the thunderstorms will be ‘quite hit and miss’.
Up to 50mm (2in) of rain could fall in two hours in the South East this afternoon.
Then tomorrow could see 50mm (2in) to 100mm (4in) in a few hours in some spots, which is more than a month’s worth of rainfall.
The average August rainfall in England is 75mm (2.95 inches).
Forecasters said there could be road closures, train delays and power cuts due to the storms.
They also said in tomorrow’s warning that there is ‘a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded’ and cause ‘a danger to life.’
But the heat is not set to last into the weekend with temperatures set to return to the mid-20Cs in the South as a band of rain moves through the country on Saturday.
WARNING 1) A Met Office thunderstorm warning is in place for today, from 12pm until midnight
WARNING 2) The Met Office has also issued a thunderstorm alert for the whole of tomorrow
The Met Office has also confirmed that Britain is currently experiencing an official heatwave and that it is likely to remain very warm for the next few days.
Ms Mitchell added that the heatwave began on Monday, and ‘we’re in the midst of it now as we expect temperatures to continue to be high in the coming days’.
Heatwave criteria is when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with daily maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold, which varies by region but is 28C (82F) in London.
Yesterday, a fire broke out in Orpington, South East London, with four fire engines and around 25 firefighters called to a field where four hectares of straw were ablaze.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued yellow heat health warnings for all areas of England, except the North East and North West, until 9am on Friday.
It warned the expected hot weather may have ‘significant impacts’ on the health and social care sector across the south east and London, with minor impact elsewhere.
Conditions are likely to impact the ‘vulnerable’, such as the elderly and those with multiple health conditions.
To cope with warm evenings, the Met Office has urged Britons to keep their homes as cool as possible.
It said: ‘Overnight temperatures are going to be very high so it’s quite hard to cool houses down in that situation because you don’t have the relief overnight and temperatures dropping.
‘If you can open your windows at night, try to let some of the cooler air in and keep curtains or blinds shut during the day’.
The UK’s hottest day of the year before yesterday was July 19 when a temperature of 31.9C (89.4F) was recorded at St James’s Park in London. The previous record high for 2024 before that was 30.5C (86.9F) in Wisley, Surrey, on June 26.
