Britain is set to be battered by hail and thunderstorms with the Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning for areas of the South West.
Heavy downpours are expected across central and southern England and parts of Wales over the weekend, on the back of a fleeting ‘last hurrah’ for summer.
So far this month, the UK has seen an average 49.5mm (1.95in) of rainfall – which is typical for this time of year according to Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud.
‘Successive bands of rain’ and ‘normal conditions for autumn’ are expected after the weekend downpours, he added.
This will all follow what Mr Stroud described as ‘summer’s last hurrah’ which has ‘spoiled’ Brits with temperatures hitting 26C (79F) today.
The Met Office’s thunderstorm warning for Saturday which forecasts heavy rain and hail across many parts of England and Wales
The warning is on the back of ‘summer’s last hurrah’, seen in today’s forecast (left) compared to tomorrow’s (right)
The Met Office said warm and bright conditions will continue for most areas this afternoon following a cloudy morning, after a high of 25.5C (77.9F) yesterday.
However, a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued beginning tomorrow afternoon from 12pm until 8pm.
Another warning has been issued by the forecaster for 1am on Saturday until 11.59pm.
Parts of southern England, the Midlands and some areas in the North West are covered by the alert.
‘While many places will remain dry, thunderstorms and heavy showers could cause some disruption on Friday in a few places,’ the Met Office said.
The UK is currently experiencing high pressure but this will soon move north and east, allowing thundery showers to develop in the South in the next 24 hours.
The warmest temperatures today are expected in London and would make the UK hotter than Ibiza and Rome (both 23C/73F), Corfu (24C/75F) and Mallorca (25C/77F).
Highs of 22C (72F) are expected in the South tomorrow, before similar maximums over the weekend with highs of 24C (75F) on Saturday and 22C (72F) on Sunday.
Yesterday, temperatures hit 25.5C (77.9F) in Inverness, which is 14C above average for this time of year.
And a temperature of 26C today would the first time such a high had been reached in the UK in nearly a fortnight since Aviemore in the Highlands hit 26.2C (79.1F) on September 7.
Pedestrians cross Westminster Bridge in the warm autumn sunshine yesterday afternoon
People enjoy the weather by the River Thames in London yesterday as temperature rise
The conditions are in stark condition to less than a week ago when parts of the country were experiencing sub-zero weather.
England and South Wales both recorded their earliest frost in September since 2019 as temperatures fell to -2.7C (27.F1F) last Friday.
However, a high of 26C today would still be well off the UK date record for September 19 – set in 1926 when Camden Square in London hit 32.2C (90.0F).
Today, the mercury will get up to 26C (79F) in the South, 20C (68F) in the North and 18C (64F) in Scotland.
By tomorrow, highs of 22C (72F) are expected in the South, 19C (66F) in the North and 17C (63F) in Scotland.
