Britain's heatwave is set to continue next month and forecasters predict August will be hotter and drier than average.
The long range prediction comes as temperatures are expected to hit 36C today and 37C on Friday, when there will be a small chance the UK could break its all-time record of 38.5C, the Met Office said.
However, the hot weather will be break “with a bang” and thunderstorms are expected to sweep southeast England on Friday afternoon, Steven Keates, a senior meteorologist at the agency told The Independent.
He added that it “is going to be an exceptionally hot day, one that we will remember for years to come”.
“We’re seeing extreme heat tomorrow East Anglia and Kent and possibly London," he said. “There will we lots of sunshine around, but heavy showers this afternoon that will be hit and miss — catch one and you’ll know about it.”
Thursday night will be “offensively humid” with some thundery outbreaks, he said, particularly in the Midlands and Yorkshire.
“Don’t be surprised if you get woken up by some thunder,” he said.
The following day the weather is expected to become truly “nasty... With all the heat and humidity it’s going to go bang to tomorrow afternoon.”
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for southeastern, northern and eastern parts of the England, cautioning against torrential downpours, hail and strong gusts on Friday afternoon and evening,
The weather will remain unsettled on the weekend but it will be cooler, Mr Keates said.
“If hot weather is your thing there’s going to be a shock to the system and a bit of a blip. Throughout next week pressure will build and temperatures start to creep up again and the emphasis will shift back to very warm weather.”
Overall trends indicate the weather will largely remain this way “well into August”, he said, adding: “There are only slow changes in the overall weather pattern, meaning hot weather will never be far away. Taking the UK as a whole for the month, it will be on the dryer side of average, the warmer side of average.”
Weeks of hot weather so far this month have mixed with fumes from vehicles emissions to cause caused a “high” air pollution alert to be issued for London.
Air quality alerts will be displayed at bus stops, river piers, on busy roads and at the entrances to London Underground stations.
Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “This is the second time in six months that we have had to use the ‘high’ alert system and shows just why air pollution is a public health crisis.”
Children, the elderly and people with lung or heart problems have been advised to reduce strenuous exercise and physical exertion.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has been urged to set out what measures he is taking to make sure the NHS can cope with the heatwave.
Shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said hospitals are facing year-round pressures, saying “the traditional lull in NHS activity during the quieter summer months is a thing of the past”.
MPs have warned heat-related deaths will treble by mid-century unless the Government takes action to tackle the dangers of soaring summer temperatures.
Without the Government developing a strategy to protect vulnerable people, such as the elderly, numbers dying from the heat could rise to 7,000 a year by 2050, a report from the parliamentary Environmental Audit Committee said.
It called on the Government to take action to ensure homes, hospitals, care homes, offices, cities, water supplies and transport networks can cope with rising temperatures.
Scientists have warned that climate change is making such heat extremes more likely, and the report comes as northern Europe swelters in a prolonged heatwave.
Farming leaders have warned crops are being hit and livestock are having to be fed with feed that should be held for winter as grasslands are parched.
Firefighters have urged the public to avoid “careless and reckless” behaviour during the ongoing heatwave as crews across the country deal with a high number of field fires.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have been experiencing recent temperatures nearer normal for the time of year.
