London and south-east could see torrential rain and even hail as temperatures fall

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

The Met Office is warning that the heatwave that has scorched much of the country for weeks is about to end with a bang, blowing itself out in thunderstorms across the east and south-east on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning that could trigger flash flooding.

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Frank Saunders, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “The thunderstorms could lead to torrential downpours in places with up to 30mm of rainfall falling in an hour. Lightning is quite likely and, for a few unlucky spots, large hail, flash flooding and strong gusty winds, all leading to difficult driving conditions.”

After one last scorcher, with temperatures hitting 34C in places, the yellow warning for thunderstorms covers the south-east, London and East Anglia – where temperatures have consistently topped 30c.

The warning covers 4pm on Tuesday to 3am on Wednesday. The Met has warned of possible power cuts, public transport cancellations and difficult driving conditions.

There is also a “small chance” of damage to properties from flooding, lightning strikes, hail and high winds.



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The good news for those worn out by sweaty sleepless nights, dusty grimy air, parched gardens and trees dropping their leaves is that the Met Office predicts that the hot weather is over, for now at least. Temperatures will fall, though to no lower than about 21C, the old normal. But many meteorologists believe the recent scorching temperatures will become the new summer normal.

Saunders said: “After weeks of predominantly high temperatures and very little rainfall for many parts of the country, high pressure is finally breaking down allowing a cold front to introduce cooler, fresher air from the Atlantic to all parts of the UK.

Temperatures will still often be in the low to mid-20Cs in eastern parts of England for the rest of this week, which although is above average for the time of year, will be notably cooler than recent weeks. Elsewhere, temperatures in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and western England will be closer to average, the high teens being typical.”

The heatwave which began for many in time for the royal wedding in May, continued into the driest and hottest June on record in many places. Parts of England spent the equivalent of about two months withno recorded rainfall.

South-east England clocked up 64 days of zero average rainfall between January and July, central England had 54 days.

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The last time both regions recorded a higher number of rain-free days in this seven-month period was the mid-1990s.

Provisional figures from the Met Office show how this year’s hot, dry weather has taken its toll on areas of the UK.

In south-east England, 11 consecutive days with no rainfall were recorded from 20 June to 30 June – the longest uninterrupted dry spell in the region since May/June 1997.

The 64 days of zero average rainfall from January to July is already higher than the number recorded in south-east England for the whole of 2017 (58 days).