Up to a month’s worth of rain is predicted to hit areas of Britain early next week before a heatwave sweeps across Europe, potentially bringing record temperatures of up to 40C to the continent.

Following downpours across much of the country between Sunday and Tuesday, humid weather across the south of England on Thursday will send temperatures rocketing as high as 34C, forecasters said.

Sleeping will be uncomfortable, and the heat and humidity could leave people dehydrated and vulnerable to fainting, they warned.

Much of Europe will have at least one day of intense heat next week, forecaster AccuWeather said, with a “core of heat” focused on southern Germany, eastern France, Switzerland, northern Italy and Austria.

Temperatures are expected to climb into the high 30s and may reach 40C in the hottest places on the continent, it was predicted.

Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather Show all 8 1 /8 Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "I stumbled on the firefighter in front of the burning home on the second day of the Camp Fire in a town called Magalia which is about five miles from Paradise, California. There were about five or six homes burning and firefighters were trying to save the houses near to those that were on fire. The heat from the fire was so intense that the firefighter could only stand near the burning building for 10-15 seconds before having to move away" - Justin Sullivan Getty Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "This was only one of several large-scale forest fires in Brandenburg state in Germany last year, following droughts which left the forests in the region extremely dry. The year set a new record for fires that burned over 400 hectares. As a photojournalist covering the region for over 15 years, I now have to assume either drought or floods will very likely be a part of the news we will be covering every summer" - Sean Gallup Getty Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "This photograph was taken at a sunflower field at Goersdorf near Golssen in Germany. The farmers in the region are really despairing. In the years before many faced floods, in 2018 it was scorching heat. Many grow crops that are meant to feed their cows, so when the crops fail they need to buy feed. With the price of milk so low many are fearing for their economic survival if weather cycles like this continue" - Sean Gallup Getty Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "On the third day of the Camp Fire the flames had moved away from the town and were burning in the nearby hills. I captured this photo in Big Bend, as the story was shifting away from the fire itself and focusing on trying to locate missing persons and recover remains of those who had perished" - Justin Sullivan Getty Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "You can see the Belchatow power plant and the rising steam and smoke from over 20km away. I went there the day before the start of the United Nations’ climate conference in Katowice, which took place in a region where coal has a long history and coal mining is woven into local tradition. Poland has made some strides with renewables, such as with wind turbines that now dot portions of the western Polish countryside. However, given how heavily Poland still relies on coal, it is unlikely that Belchatow will close anytime soon. According to a recent study by the European Commission Belchatow is Europe’s biggest single emitter of CO2" - Sean Gallup Getty Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "I stayed the night at an alpine hut near the Waxeggkees glacier in Austria. An employee I talked to at night said, sometimes (this was August) she heard the sounds of ice breaking off the glacier and crashing across rocks. 100 years ago the glacier would have filled the photo. Now it takes over an hour to walk up to where the glacier begins" - Sean Gallup, photographer Getty Images Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "I came across Mr. Helmut Kujat, 78, by chance after I photographed a parched farm nearby. He’s actually pouring the water into a tube that helps to better let the water reach the roots of the tree. He waters the trees in front of his house almost daily throughout spring and summer due to droughts and heat waves" - Sean Gallup Getty Photographers stories of capturing extreme weather "I took this photo about a week after the Camp Fire tore through the town of Paradise, California in November last year. It was the first opportunity to use a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to view the widespread devastation since the air space around the burn zone had been closed" - Justin Sullivan Getty

A German newspaper advised readers to have a siesta in the early afternoon, and to put their pyjamas in the freezer to cool them off at night.

In Britain, high pressure on Tuesday could send the mercury to 30C in southern counties, followed by 32C on Wednesday and 34C on Thursday, according to the Met Office.

“This could cause problems for sleeping, as overnight it will be muggy and close,” Simon Partridge, a meteorologist, told The Independent.

“It won’t be wall-to-wall sunshine in the day, but the humidity will be the biggest problem. It’s energy-sapping.”

The Met Office has issued “heat health alerts” in conjunction with Public Health England, warning of health risks, particularly for vulnerable people.

Temperatures will slowly fall towards next weekend, Mr Partridge said.

However, before the scorching mini-heatwave, some areas will suffer thunderstorms and downpours.

Several national severe weather warnings have been issued for Sunday to Tuesday.

The warnings cover most of England and Scotland on Monday, except for Devon and Cornwall, and most of England on Tuesday.

Across the northeast, the storms are due to bring frequent lightning, and a risk of hail and gusting winds.

Mr Partridge said the thundery showers could bring up to 20mm of rain in a short time, with the potential for up to 60mm – a month’s worth of rain – in storms, causing flooding.

Driving could be dangerous as apparently dry conditions may change very suddenly, he warned.

The Met Office said thunderstorms would develop in northern England and north Wales on Sunday evening, and with minimum night-time temperatures of 17C or 18C, it will be humid.

Hot, sticky conditions will overlap with the storms, with some areas experiencing 27C on Monday and 30C on Tuesday.

Forecasters said the UK had been stuck under an area of low pressure so far this month, but over the next few days it will shift to the southwest, allowing very warm air to be drawn up from southern Europe and north Africa.

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Next week, however, the weather looks more unsettled and changeable, and next month is likely to bring rain to southern Britain and temperatures of just above average, Mr Partridge said.