The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across parts of the UK as the heatwave finally subsides.
The forecaster has put a yellow thunderstorm warning in place for north-east England and parts of Scotland from 11am to 6pm on Wednesday.
It covers major towns and cities including Durham, Middlesbrough, Newcastle, Sunderland and Edinburgh.
The Met Office said heavy showers and some thunderstorms are expected to develop across parts of south-east Scotland and north-east England, clearing east into the North Sea later in the afternoon.
Some areas could see 15 to 20mm of rain in an hour or less, which could lead to some flooding, the forecaster added.
“As the showers clear to the east, strong winds may develop on the western flank with gusts of around 40mph possible for a short period of time,” it said.
The Met Office warned driving conditions will be affected by spray and standing water, and there will potentially be some flooding of a few homes and businesses.
Delays to train services are possible, and some short-term loss of power and other services is likely, the forecaster said.
It comes as the UK saw the hottest day of the year on Tuesday with temperatures exceeding 34C.
The Met Office confirmed that 34.7C was recorded at St James’s Park in central London on Tuesday afternoon, beating 34.4C recorded in Writtle, Essex, earlier in the day.
The hot weather marks the second heatwave for parts of the UK within the last month, with scientists warning the searing temperatures earlier in June were made 100 times more likely because of human-caused climate change.
Provisional Met Office figures, released on Tuesday, show England had its warmest June on record last month, while the UK experienced its second warmest since the series began in 1884 – only surpassed by June 2023.
However, cooler weather is forecast for the rest of the week, the Met Office said.
Thursday is expected to see a split in the weather, with cool sunshine and frequent blustery showers across the North and mostly dry with warm spells of sunshine in the South.
There will be brisk winds and rain in the North on Friday, and it will be dry and sunny in the South.
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