The UK has experienced its hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures reaching 38.1C at Kew Gardens in London, according to the Met Office. This surpasses the previous record of 38C set in Norfolk on June 26.
Heat warning remains in place
Large parts of England remain under an amber extreme heat warning until midnight tonight. The warning indicates that people are likely to experience adverse health effects, including sunburn and heat exhaustion.
Conditions are expected to cool down over the weekend. Friday is forecast to bring highs of 33C in southern areas and 28C in northern regions, with temperatures dropping to 27C in the south and 21C in the north over the weekend.
Thunderstorm warnings issued
The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning for Northern Ireland, where there is a chance of lightning strikes and flooding until 6am on Friday. There is also a risk of thunderstorms in the south-east of England.
According to the Met Office forecast for Friday: "Staying hot across much of England and Wales before a weak cold front brings cooler, cloudier weather in from the west. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms are possible in the southeast."
The counties facing thunderstorms include Northern Ireland (Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry, Tyrone) and the south-east of England (Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, West Sussex).
Weekend outlook
The Met Office says more rain could come this weekend, with showers expected to continue into next week. The forecast states: "Saturday brings sunny spells and scattered showers, heaviest in the southeast. Sunday is mostly dry with sunshine, though rain reaching the northwest later. Monday sees increasing rain, with breezy conditions."
BBC Weather suggests showers could turn "thundery" over the weekend. The BBC forecast states: "On Saturday, eastern England could see some further thundery showers, but elsewhere, it will be drier and sunnier. Northern Scotland will also see some showers, however. On Sunday, the south will see sunny spells for much of the day. The north will see some showers, especially in eastern areas during the afternoon. Monday would turn cloudy with rain moving in from the west."
