UK braced for ‘hottest day of the year’ as temperatures shoot up to 34°C

People will flock to the beaches today to enjoy the hottest day of the year (Picture: Matt Keeble/Shutterstock)

London and the south are hotting up today and the UK could record its highest temperature of the year as the mercury hits highs of 34°C.

Hot and humid temperatures are the theme of the day – as London experiences highs of 33°C, while Cambridge could top that at 34°C.

Both of these temperatures are higher than the highest temperature recorded so far this year in the country which was 32°C.

This was recorded in London at the end of July.

The Midlands, Lincolnshire, East Anglia and south east England will be hot and humid with temperatures reaching 30°C or more.

And if you struggled to sleep last night we can’t blame you as temperatures stayed around the 20°C mark.

For what is in store today for southern parts, a Met Office spokesperson said: ‘Hot and humid, and locally very hot, especially inland.

‘Sunny spells expected, but some cloud building through the day, bringing a small chance of thunderstorms by late afternoon and overnight. Maximum temperature 34°C.’

Cambridge could be the hottest place in the UK today (Picture: Joe Giddens/PA)

Meanwhile a yellow heat-health alert issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) for the Midlands and southern England is in place until Tuesday morning.

But what is causing this sudden plume of very hot air?

Well this is partly due to Tropical Storm Debby, which brought flooding to the eastern United States – the remnants of which were in the north Atlantic and are now moving across the country.

Debby pushed very warm air to higher latitudes. This has changed the position of the jet stream and has brought across the hot air.

But it will not be nice sunny weather for everybody who lives in the UK, especially those who live up north and in Scotland.

A yellow weather warning for thunderstorms has been issued for parts of the north of England, Scotland and northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland’s warning is in place until 7am this morning, meanwhile the north of England and Scotland’s warning is in place until 1pm this afternoon.

Areas in the north and Scotland will experience thunderstorms though (Picture: Connor McLaren/ SWNS)

A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘Thunderstorms are expected to develop over western parts of the UK and move northeast during the second half of Sunday night becoming organised into Monday morning.

‘Although not all parts of the warning area are expected to see them, an area of increasingly organised thunderstorms is likely to produce a combination of frequent lightning, heavy rain, hail and short periods of strong winds.

‘Some torrential downpours are likely, with 20-40 mm in places, and a potential for 40-60 mm of rain to fall in 1-2 hours very locally, with hail up to 2 cm in diameter.

‘Thunderstorms are expected clear towards the northeast by Monday afternoon.’

The risk of thunderstorms in the north brings with it the risk of spray and sudden flooding which could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

There is also a small chance that some communities could become temporarily cut off by flooded roads.

Where flooding or lightning strikes occur, there is a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services.

There is also a slight chance that power cuts could occur and other services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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