For many people, trying to get to sleep last night will have been nearly impossible.

The UK saw its second warmest day on record on Thursday, with temperatures as high as 38.1C (100.5F) in Cambridge, with other areas not far off.

And making things worse, last night saw a rare phenomenon, known as a "heat burst", that caused a spike in temperatures in the evening.

Some parts of Lincolnshire, England's second largest county, saw a temporary rise of 10C at around 10.20pm, meaning temperatures briefly reached an uncomfortable 32C (89.6F).

The Met Office said the heat burst was due to a thunderstorm collapsing in the skies above the county, quickly bringing hot air down to the surface.


They added: "Tonight's event is likely to be an example of a heat burst, a rare atmospheric phenomenon characterised by gusty winds along with a rapid increase in temperature and decrease in dew point (moisture)".

Live: Heatwave hangover sees flights cancelled and train delayed

A graph released by the meteorologists showed that heat began rising at Donna Nook, a coastal area in the county, at around 10pm. Within a few minutes, the temperature had peaked, before falling again shortly thereafter.

Image: The temperature rose by 10C in a matter of minutes. Pic: Met Office

Many on social media said it was noticeably hotter at a time when it should be getting cooler, with one user saying "the temperature shift was very noticeable and uncomfortable."

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The heat burst came after Thursday's high temperatures caused travel chaos across the country, with commuters being left stranded as trains came to a standstill and roads began to melt.

Police even had to be called to a lido in south London after more than 500 people had tried to get in, causing the pool to shut its doors for the day.

Temperatures on Friday are cooler and many parts of the UK have already seen rain, with the country set to cool down over the next few days.

However, some of the travel disruption is expected to continue.

Image: Commuters were left stranded after travel chaos

The Met Office said: "[Friday will be] another hot day in the far east, otherwise a fresher day with outbreaks of thundery rain across northern, central and eastern areas. Sunny spells in the west with isolated showers.

"[The weekend will be] humid in the north and east with heavy, thundery rain through the weekend. Elsewhere sunnier and fresher. Fewer showers by Monday, but perhaps turning wet in the South West later."