UK weather: Warning of thunderstorms as temperatures forecast to plunge after bank holiday heatwave

Mid-teens or perhaps 18C the best that can be hoped for later this week, says Met Office

Parts of the UK should brace for thunderstorms following the scorching bank holiday weekend, forecasters have warned.

After Tuesday the country will no longer bask in high-20s temperatures, with potential thundery downpours heralding a return to seasonal average figures, the Met Office said.

In the Southeast residents can expect temperatures up to 28C on the first day back from the bank holiday, which later may prompt rain showers.

“The odd one could turn heavy or perhaps even thundery,” meteorologist Sophie Yeomans told The Independent.

“It does look as though there is a risk,” she said, but added: “I think you would be very unlucky to catch one.”

Regarding temperatures, “as we go through the rest of the week they will gradually start to drop off”, stabilising in the mid-teens, she said, or “18C at a push”.

Weather fronts moving in from the west are expected to bring some rain for western areas later in the week.

It will be an unwelcome return to normal for many who had enjoyed temperatures as high as 28C on the hottest early May bank holiday on record.

Conditions over the weekend meant parts of the country enjoyed weather hotter than that in Madrid or Athens, with most of the UK seeing figures of 23C or higher.

The hot weather was caused by a mix of low pressure, light winds and consistent sunshine.

Additional reporting by PA