UK weather latest: Thunderstorms and heavy rain to hit southeast as heatwave continues

Parts of the southeast are bracing for heavy downpours as the scorching heatwave ushers in stormy weather.

The Met Office has warned 30mm of rain could fall in the space of an hour as a yellow warning for thunderstorms is extended across London, the south of England and the east midlands.

While some parts may experience “heavy, intense” showers, temperatures will remain warm across the country, reaching the high 20s.

“If you see one of the heavy downpours, it’s going to be that really heavy rain that windscreen wipers find difficult to cope with,” a Met Office spokesperson told The Independent.

“There’s still plenty of dry weather around as well, so you may not see any thunder or lightning at all.”

Forecasters warned there was a small chance the heavy downpours could represent a flood risk, and warned affected areas to take precautions.

But while there has been a dip in temperatures this week, record-breaking highs could be seen in the east of the country from Monday or Tuesday.

“We’re looking at temperatures going into the low 30s again so we could be looking at isolated points reaching 32C or 33C,” a Met Office spokesperson said.

“The hottest temperature recorded of the year so far has been 33C so the southeast could potentially get up to those sorts of temperatures.”

However, parts of the west will stay cooler, with temperatures likely to remain in the mid-20s.

The latest hot spell comes after the Met Office said Britain could see a record-breaking summer if temperatures stay above average.

Conditions have been unusually dry, with the UK having just 47mm of rain so far, making it the driest start to summer in modern records, which date back to 1961.