Met Office declares hottest day of year but 13 counties now face thunderstorms

Met Office declares hottest day of year but 13 counties now face thunderstorms Temperatures rose past 38C in the UK today, making it the hottest of the year so far - but Met Office weather forecasters now say thunderstorms are coming Today is officially the hottest day of the year so far following five scorching heatwaves. The Met Office has revealed that temperatures reached 38.1C in Kew Gardens, London, today - beating the previous record of 38C set in Norfolk on June 26. Large swathes of England remain under an amber extreme heat weather warning until midnight tonight. The warning states people are likely to experience adverse health effects including sunburn and heat exhaustion. Thankfully conditions are expected to cool off this weekend. Friday should bring 33C highs in southern areas and 28C in northern regions, with temperatures dropping to 27C in the south and 21C in the north over the weekend. However, the Met Office says thunderstorms are on the cards. A yellow thunderstorm warning has been issued for Northern Ireland, where forecasters say there is a chance of lightning strikes and flooding until 6am on Friday. There is also a risk of thunderstorms in the south-east. The Met Office forecast for Friday states: "Staying hot across much of England and Wales before a weak cold front brings cooler, cloudier weather in from the west. Isolated afternoon thunderstorms are possible in the southeast." UK counties facing thunderstorms Northern Ireland - Antrim - Armagh - Down - Fermanagh - Londonderry - Tyrone South-east of England - Buckinghamshire - East Sussex - Hampshire - Isle of Wight - Kent - Surrey - West Sussex Met Office weather forecast The Met Office says more rain could come this weekend. Showers are expected to carry on into next week too. The Met Office forecast states: "Saturday brings sunny spells and scattered showers, heaviest in the southeast. Sunday is mostly dry with sunshine, though rain reaching the northwest later. Monday sees increasing rain, with breezy conditions." BBC Weather forecast BBC Weather suggests showers could turn "thundery" over the weekend. The BBC forecast states: "On Saturday, eastern England could see some further thundery showers, but elsewhere, it will be drier and sunnier. "Northern Scotland will also see some showers, however. On Sunday, the south will see sunny spells for much of the day. The north will see some showers, especially in eastern areas during the afternoon. Monday would turn cloudy with rain moving in from the west."