Brits are set for heavy showers and thunderstorms as temperatures plummet around the country after the hottest UK day ever.
To the relief of many it will be a cloudy day with showers where the mercury will generally be in the mid to low 20Cs although it could get up to 29C in the South East.
On Tuesday a new record for the hottest UK day ever seen, of 40.3C, was registered in Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, beating the previous record of 38.7C in Cambridge three years ago, by 1.6C.
The Met Office said 34 observation sites across England provisionally broke the previous all-time record, ranging from Bramham, in West Yorkshire, to Charlwood, in Surrey, while a further five had equalled it on Tuesday.
A total of six sites, mostly in Greater London, saw temperatures reach or exceed 40C.
Scotland experienced its hottest day on record, with the temperature reaching 34.8C in Charterhall in the Scottish Borders, Met Office provisional figures showed.
It is a very different picture today where heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected to hit central and eastern England in the afternoon with a Met Office yellow warning in place from 1pm until 9pm.
The Met Office states: “Heavy showers and thunderstorms may bring disruption during Wednesday afternoon.”
It continues: “Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.
"Spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures. There is a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost."
Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: "Wednesday morning starts off on a warm and bright note in the east but as the day goes on we will see cloud building and that will start to trigger some thunderstorms especially into the afternoon and a yellow thunderstorm warning is in force for parts of south east England as we go through the course of the day.
"So overall quite a lot of cloud around England, parts of Wales and southern Scotland. The best of the brightness across Scotland maybe parts of Northern Ireland too. Here actually quite a comfortable day, temperatures around the high teens low 20Cs."
He added: "Down in the South East thankfully a little bit cooler than today 28C and 29C, still on the hot side for the time of year."
The thunderstorms could rumble on into Wednesday night were again it is expected to be cooler while highs on Thursday could be 26C.
UK forecast for the next 5 days
Turning cooler from west. Some heavy showers in south Wednesday.
Today:
Cloudier than recently with some sunny spells. Less hot across the UK but still warm. Very warm or hot in parts of the east and southeast. Some heavy showers developing over central England.
Tonight:
Showers gradually dying out over England, lingering longest over Lincolnshire and Norfolk. Fairly cloudy central and eastern parts. Much cooler than recent nights but still warm in east and southeast.
Thursday:
Rather cloudy for many with sunny spells. A little light rain or drizzle possible during the morning central and eastern parts. Feeling warm for many but much cooler than recently.
Outlook for Friday to Sunday:
Sunshine and scattered showers on Friday. Rain and wind spreading to the north through the weekend. Mostly dry with lighter winds in the south and becoming warmer.
