Friday could be hottest ever July day - but thunderstorms forecast for some

Friday could be the hottest ever July day, before thunderstorms provide slight relief from the scorching heatwave.

After weeks without rain, torrential downpours are forecast to hit parts of the UK, with as much as 30mm (an inch) expected to fall in just an hour.

A sizzling 36C is forecast for the south east, and a thunderstorm warning is in place for eastern and northern parts of England from Friday afternoon.

With a chance of hail and strong winds alongside the torrential downpours, the temperature could drop back to the high 20s, meteorologist Alex Burkill said.

He said: "Those thunderstorms that develop could bring some welcome relief and as we go into the weekend it will feel less hot and less humid, but temperatures will still be above average generally."

Humidity is expected to peak on Friday, he added, describing it as having the potential to be a "pretty uncomfortable day".

The Met Office has said England could see the all-time July record of 36.7C, reached at Heathrow in 2015, broken on Friday.

The all-time UK high is 38.5C in August 2003.

There is a chance East Anglia will see some thunderstorms on Wednesday, the Met Office added, while temperatures are likely to peak in the mid-30s on Thursday and Friday.

The heatwave baking Britain comes as extreme hot weather grips northern Europe.

An amber "heat health watch" warning remains in place for parts of England, with people being warned to try to stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm.

Nurses have warned that some hospital wards have reached more than 30C, leading to patients and relatives passing out or vomiting.

The Local Government Association said social workers, community wardens and maintenance staff are all on high alert to identify those who could be struggling in the heat.

And pet owners have been urged to avoid exercising their dogs and other animals in the hottest parts of the day due to the risk of burnt paws on scorching pavements, as well as the chance of heatstroke.

UK homes and cities need to be prepared for a future of more heatwaves as temperatures rise, the Government's climate advisers have warned.

The Committee on Climate Change has repeated its call for new standards on heat risks for new homes, while action is also needed to keep existing houses cool and create more green space in cities to prevent urban overheating, it said.

And as the harvest begins early in many places following the driest first half of summer on record, farming leaders warned crops are being hit.

They added that reservoirs for watering vegetables were running dry and livestock owners were having to use winter feed for their animals as summer grass had withered away.

Weather extremes including record temperatures, heatwaves and drought are being seen across the northern hemisphere in the first half of summer, hitting health and agriculture and causing dangerous wildfires.

Experts have warned climate change was "loading the dice towards extreme weather," with rising global temperatures fuelling heatwaves.

An intense heatwave hit Japan, with record highs of 41.1C in Kumagaya and 40.8C in Oume, both near Tokyo, on Monday, as the country struggles to recover from its worst flooding and landslide disasters in decades.

In Europe, a second Climate Watch advisory was issued for July 19 to August 6 covering an area from Ireland to the Baltic States and Scandinavia, with temperatures as much as 10C above average in some places in the first week.

The soaring temperatures in northern Europe are accompanied by drought and a risk of local thunderstorms, wildfires and harvest losses, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said.

The death toll from wildfires in popular seaside areas of Greece has risen to 74.

An extended heatwave in Scandinavia has seen temperatures top 30C in the Arctic Circle, and Sweden reported around 50 forest fires burning in mid July.

In Ireland, heatwaves were recorded at 15 weather stations, with five or more consecutive days with temperatures above 25C, and an absolute drought at all its stations, the WMO said.

The UK has seen the driest half of summer on record, with just 47mm (1.85 inches) of rain between June 1 and July 16.

The Met Office said several places have had 54 consecutive dry days, starting on May 30, including a few which have had less than 1mm of rain in the entire 54-day period - the longest spell since 1969, when 70 days passed with no significant rainfall.

The longest run of days with no rain at all this summer so far is 48 days at Brooms Barn, near Bury St Edmunds, since June 5.

The prolonged warm, dry weather is caused by an area of high pressure sitting to the west of Britain, leaving the country basking under cloudless skies.

Conditions this week have been nearer normal for the time of year in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, which are seeing lower temperatures and rainy spells.

Mr Burkill said a slight change in the direction of air coming over the UK from south to west will mean a slight drop in temperatures over the weekend and into the first part of next week.

But highs will still reach 28 or 29C, he added, and hot air will once again move up from the south towards the middle of next week, pushing temperatures back up.

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