Britain is basking in a mini-heatwave today as temperatures climb as high as 35C (95F) on the hottest day of the year so far after 5,000 lightning strikes in 24 hours.
A plume of hot and humid air being drawn up from Spain and France is bringing very hot and sunny weather to much of South East England and the Midlands.
The highest temperatures are expected to be in Cambridgeshire this afternoon, while London, East Anglia and the home counties could all get up to 33C (91F).
The sudden heat is partly due to Tropical Storm Debby, which brought flooding to the eastern US before rolling through Canada last week. The UK will be hotter today than Ibiza and Faro (both 29C), Malta (31C) and even Dakhla in Western Sahara (28C).
But a thunderstorm warning is in place for Scotland and northern England until 1pm today with highs of only 26C (79F) in Manchester and 21C (70F) in Edinburgh.
And the Met Office confirmed 15,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK in the 24 hours to midday today, with the majority of these in northern areas.Â
National Rail warned today’s conditions could impact train services for different reasons, given heat can damage overhead lines, cause lineside fires or buckle rails; while heavy rainfall can bring flooding or affect points and signalling equipment.Â
Visitors to the Essex seaside town of Walton-on-the-Naze enjoy the very hot weather today
People enjoy the warm weather at Clevedon Marine Lake in North Somerset this morning
People enjoy the warm weather in the fountains at Granary Square in London this afternoon
A woman runs through Hampstead Heath in North West London in the heat this morning
Swimmers at the Sky Pool in the Nine Elms area of London today as a plane flies overhead
People enjoy the weather near fountains at Battersea Park in South West London today
Swimmers take a morning dip in Hampstead Heath in London to cool off this morning
Rowers travel along the River Avon in Warwick today on a very hot day across England
While the South enjoys the heat, it’s been a wet day at Tynemouth in North Tyneside today
Today’s maximum will likely beat the current hottest day of 2024 which was July 30 when 32.0C (89.6F) was recorded in London at both Kew Gardens and Heathrow.
And today’s level will also probably exceed the highest temperature recorded in the UK last year which was 33.5C (92.3F) at Faversham in Kent on September 10.
But it will not get close to the 2022 high when Coningsby in Lincolnshire made it to 40.3C (104.5F) on July 19 – the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK.
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said today: ‘It’s going to be hot. The weather is coming with a lot of humidity, so it will feel quite uncomfortable out there across central eastern England.
‘Elsewhere, it’s still going to be warm and humid, but the hottest weather will be in central eastern England.’
During the spell of hot weather, the Met Office recommends that people keep curtains closed during the peak of the day and drink lots of water.
But thunderstorms are expected in Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England today, leading to torrential downpours in some areas.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the affected regions, telling drivers to expect spray on the roads and some road closures.
Mr Snell said: ‘Thunderstorms are already beginning to move into the Republic of Ireland.
‘They will start to move up into Northern Ireland later this evening and then move across Scotland and northern England as we go through the night and into tomorrow.
‘It could be potentially quite nasty in places up there.’
Visitors to the Essex seaside town of Walton-on-the-Naze enjoy the very hot weather today
People cycle through Battersea Park in South West London today as they enjoy the weather
People enjoy the warm weather at Granary Square in London’s King’s Cross area today
People enjoy the warm weather at Clevedon Marine Lake in North Somerset this morning
Rowers travel along the River Avon in Warwick today on a very hot day across England
A woman runs through Primrose Hill in North West London in the hot weather this morning
People enjoy the weather near fountains at Battersea Park in South West London today
People enjoy the warm weather at Clevedon Marine Lake in North Somerset this morning
Richmond Park in London today on what is expected to be the hottest day of the year so farÂ
People enjoy the warm weather at Clevedon Marine Lake in North Somerset this morning
People enjoy the weather near fountains at Battersea Park in South West London today
People enjoy the warm weather at Clevedon Marine Lake in North Somerset this morning
A man runs through Primrose Hill in North West London in the heat this morning
People enjoy the warm weather at Clevedon Marine Lake in North Somerset this morning
The sun rises behind the skyline of the financial district of the City of London this morning
The sun rises behind The Shard skyscraper in London this morning as hot weather continues
A beautiful sunrise over the London skyline this morning, as seen from Richmond Park
The aurora borealis (Northern Lights) over Bamburgh Lighthouse in Northumberland today
He added: ‘Although we probably won’t see that severe weather across the south, that system will gradually bring some cooler temperatures to all parts as we go through Tuesday and Wednesday, with highs back up to the high 20s rather than mid 30s.’
Tomorrow will still be very warm in East Anglia and the South East with temperatures up to 27C (81F) or 28C (82F).
The jet-stream pattern in the Atlantic is expected to straighten again with more changeable weather later in the week.
By Wednesday, temperatures will be in the low to mid 20Cs – average for this time of year.
The Met Office says a warm snap is officially considered a heatwave if a location records at least three days in a row with maximum temperatures exceeding a designated value.Â
This is 25C (77F) for most of the UK – rising to 28C (82F) in London.Â
Because that threshold is unlikely to be hit for three days in a row, this current warm period can likely only be unofficially defined as a ‘mini heatwave’.
Some 15,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK in the 24 hours to midday today
The Met Office has a thunderstorm warning in place for the North and Scotland until 1pm today
Kathryn Chalk, a meteorologist for the Met Office, said: ‘A breeze is going to pick up through the South West and into parts of the Irish Sea and then we will start to see thunderstorms breaking out, moving their way north and eastwards.
‘At first, we could see some in the west, but the greatest risk is going to be across Northern Ireland and then later into North East England and into Scotland.
‘Expect some frequent lightning, some gusty winds and some torrential downpour.
‘That then clears its way north and eastwards, so turning brighter across parts of Scotland in the late afternoon and into Northern Ireland as well.
‘Elsewhere will be seeing a good deal of sunshine.Â
‘Further towards the south there will be a hot and humid feel to the day, with highs of up to possibly 34C.’
