The UK heatwave came to an abrupt end on Friday night as forecasters warned that heavy thunderstorms could cause flash floods and danger to life. The Met Office issued an amber alert for thunderstorms for parts of England, days after issuing a warning for high temperatures and advising people to stay out of the sun.

After temperatures reached 35.1C (95.2F) in Wisley in Surrey on Thursday – the highest temperature recorded in the UK since 2015 – the weather took a turn on Friday, with several areas of the country hit by torrential downpours and thunder and lightning.



However, despite the rain, forecasters say there is still a chance there could be a new July record temperature.

The Met Office issued an amber alert valid from 2pm to 9pm for the east Midlands and east of England on Friday, warning that the flooding of homes and businesses was “likely and could happen quickly”, with fast-flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life.

Residents in affected areas were warned that they could expect power cuts, transport delays or cancellations and difficult driving conditions. There was also a risk of some communities becoming cut off if roads flooded, the Met Office said.

The forecaster said heavy rainfalls were possible, with as much as 30mm of rainfall in one hour and 60mm in three hours predicted. Hail and strong, gusty winds were also anticipated.

A lesser, yellow “be aware” warning for thunderstorms was put in place from 2pm on Friday until 2pm on Saturday covering London and the east of England. Another yellow warning for storms was issued for just after 8pm on Friday to Saturday afternoon.

Yellow warnings for rain have been issued for Northern Ireland on Saturday, with thunder possible. There are also yellow warnings in place for rain and wind for Wales, London and the south-east and west of England for most of Sunday.

However, Will Lang, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said temperature records could still be broken. “If conditions all come together, there’s a 50% chance that we will break the July record temperature and a 20% chance of a new all-time UK record high,” he said.

Torrential rain caused the football friendly between Middlesbrough and Sunderland to be abandoned. Photograph: Paul Thompson/ProSports/Rex/Shutterstock

A temperature of 36.7C at Heathrow on 1 July 2015 is the current record for the month of July, while the all-time record temperature in the UK is 38.5C at Faversham, Kent on 10 August 2003.

A man’s body was recovered from the Jubilee river in Slough on Friday, while the body of a 17-year-old boy who disappeared after getting into difficulty in a quarry lake in Bishops Itchington, near Leamington Spa, was also recovered by police. A 13-year-old boy was reported missing after another boy was rescued by a lifeboat crew in water near Clacton pier, in Essex, on Thursday night.

Tony Wafer, the RNLI’s community safety manager, said: “If you are heading to the coast this weekend, please find out where your nearest lifeguarded beach is and ask the lifeguards for advice on conditions, especially if you are going in the water.”

Elsewhere, the heat caused chaos on the rails, as cross-channel operator Eurotunnel cancelled some services due to the “extreme temperatures”. In one of the busiest weeks of the year for Eurotunnel, the company took the “unprecedented decision” of stopping passengers travelling on Friday if they were due to return on the same day or on Saturday, in a bid to ease long queues.

On domestic trains, passengers were urged to avoid travelling on London North Eastern Railway (LNER) on Friday after lightning damaged the signalling system. Train firm Northern advised passengers not to travel by rail in the Yorkshire area for the same reason.