The Met Office has forecast heavy thunderstorms for parts of the UK this week, as temperatures cool after a period of intense heat. A Met Office meteorologist said the UK will see changeable conditions with temperatures turning cooler.
Storm maps show widespread risk
Weather maps show heavy rainstorms with potential for thunderstorms across large parts of the country on Wednesday and into Thursday. An initial band of rain is set to hit the UK on Monday, with further rainclouds headed towards the country as the week goes on.
Meteorologist Tom Morgan said on the Met Office YouTube channel: "I can't promise rain for all of us through the week ahead, but in the south at least, it's looking like the most changeable week we've seen here. Well, at least since the end of June.
"It will also start to turn cooler as the winds switch to more of a northerly direction. So as well as some rain, showers, and even thunderstorms in places, it will certainly feel considerably fresher than recent weeks in the south."
Heat health alert extended
Despite the forecast, a yellow heat health alert has been extended until 9am on Tuesday for the South East, South West, and London. Last week the UK experienced its fifth heatwave of the summer, with the hottest day of the year recorded at Kew Gardens, London, on Thursday when temperatures hit 38.1C.
Wildfires have ravaged parts of the UK, including in the West Midlands, where a blaze in Stourbridge destroyed 19 homes.
Counties at risk on Thursday
Weather maps from Netweather.tv show large swathes of the UK at risk of thunderstorms on Wednesday and Thursday, before clearer conditions heading into next weekend. The 52 counties facing thunderstorms on Thursday include:
England: Cheshire, County Durham, Cumbria, Derbyshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Herefordshire, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Rutland, Shropshire, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Tyne & Wear, Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Worcestershire.
Northern Ireland: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone.
Wales: Anglesey, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Clwyd, Glamorgan, Gwynedd, Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys.
Scotland: Angus, Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Dunbartonshire, Dundee, Fife, Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Lothian/Edinburgh, Perth & Kinross, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Stirling.
