UK weather latest: Temperatures to rise to 27C before thunderstorms batter UK over weekend

Pleasant dry and sunny conditions to give way to possible storms and heavy rain, says Met Office

A warm and dry week could culminate in more thunderstorms battering some parts of the UK this weekend.

The Met Office said there was still a high degree of uncertainty about what form the extreme weather will take but more heavy rain could hit Britain over the coming weekend.

However it said the country would remain predominantly sunny and dry for most Britons – with temperatures in London on Saturday rising as high as 27C.

“It is still staying warm into the weekend. There is a risk of thunderstorms for this weekend in the south-east and far western parts of the UK but there is still quite a bit of uncertainty into exact location and frequency,” Bonnie Diamond, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told The Independent.

“The temperature in the capital on Saturday will be an average of 23 but could rise to temperatures of 26C or 27C at best.”

She said sunshine should start to burst through cloud in London on Monday afternoon despite it being relatively overcast at present.

“If you are across western or the south west of UK you can expect sunny spells on Monday. London is quite cloudy but you should see the sun starting to break through this afternoon,” Ms Diamond said.

She said most Britons would enjoy a warm and relatively dry week. “It is set to be a warm week which will be dry for many. It will be cloudy at times but there will be plenty of sunshine around and especially from tomorrow onwards,” she said.

After a cloudy start for many on Tuesday, it will be a generally fine and dry day across most areas of Britain, and there will be some substantial periods of sunshine.

It is expected to remain cloudy in the far south-west, and there will be the slight chance of a shower for Northern Ireland.

Yellow weather warnings remain in place in some areas between 1pm and 8pm on Monday – with thunderstorms maybe expected to develop across parts of western Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Brits are warned of possible delays on rail and roads, damage to homes and power outages prompted by flooding.

”There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with damage to some buildings from floodwater, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds,” says a notice on the Met Office’s website.

This comes after parts of the country were hit by torrential rain and flooding at the end of last week - with people forced to wade through water and lightning starting a fire in dramatic scenes.

On Thursday evening, Didcot Parkway railway station in Oxfordshire flooded. It was more than a foot under water, meaning passengers had to walk through deep waters or have firefighters come to their aid.

Travellers reported seeing raw sewage flowing from drains on social media and one commuter said she had been given a piggyback through the flooded underpass.

Some 100 people had to be evacuated from the Old Fire Station arts centre in Oxford after water started coming through the roof. In Herefordshire, homes were flooded and lightning sparked a small fire at a house in Colwall.