UK weather: Thunderstorms set to bring warm spell to dramatic end - after UK sees hottest day of the year
It's been a hot, sunny weekend, with a chance of the highest temperature of the year to be recorded again on Sunday, but it's all change come the afternoon and next week is looking quite different.
Sunday 12 May 2024 10:55, UK
Thunderstorms could bring Britain's warm spell to a dramatic end on Sunday afternoon - after Saturday was confirmed as the hottest day of the year so far.
Temperatures are forecast to hit 25C (77F) again on Sunday in parts of southern and central England, with humid conditions making it another springtime scorcher.
However, the forecast is not all sunshine. In western areas of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, a Met Office yellow alert for thunderstorms with heavy showers is set to come into place from midday today.
It comes after the Met Office confirmed Saturday was the hottest day of the year for all four nations in the UK, with clear skies and high pressure making it unseasonably warm.
See the latest weather forecast where you are
For England, Herstmonceux West End in East Sussex saw the highest temperature at 25.9C, while Cassley in the Scottish Highlands hit 25.7C.
Wales also saw 25.1C in Gogerddan, and Northern Ireland recorded 23.8C in Magilligan.
Sunday will start off much as the rest of the week, according to forecasts, with some mild cloud in the southern areas of England and Wales, and some showers possible in Northern Ireland and western Scotland, but high temperatures throughout the morning.
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Tap hereThe picture is expected to dramatically change on Sunday afternoon, when yellow warnings have been issued for thunderstorms for large of parts of the UK as forecasters warn of "thundery breakdowns" with the potential for intense rainfall.
The warning is in place from noon to 10pm on Sunday and covers northwest England, most of Wales, much of central England and the South West.
Sky News's weather presenter Kirsty McCabe said earlier that the weekend's warm and sunny weather is set to "end with a bang as thundery downpours move in from the West".
Following up Saturday's heat, she added: "Sunday will be hotter and more humid, up to 27C or even 28C (82F) in the South East.
"However, thunderstorms will move in from the West and could bring 30mm to 50mm (1.2ins to 2ins) of rain in just a few hours, along with hail, lightning and gusty winds.
"That signals a change to cooler and more unsettled weather next week."
Parts of the country were treated to a stunning light display by the Northern Lights on Friday night, with some parts of northern England and Scotland in with a chance to see them again overnight.
Northern Lights - see all the best pictures overnight here
A severe solar storm meant the Aurora Borealis, usually only visible from northern parts of the British Isles, was enjoyed by people across large parts of the UK, including Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and, unusually, southern England.
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The huge solar storm was created by successive coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that have left space a "mess", one space physicist told Sky News.
CMEs are when a large cloud of high energy plasma erupts from the Sun, into space, and currently there is a sunspot spitting a number out - aimed right at Earth.