The scorcher continues! Britain endures seventh consecutive day of 30C heat – but still faces yellow thunderstorm warnings until Monday morning
- Yellow thunderstorm warning is in effect from midnight until 6am tomorrow
Britons should brace themselves for thunderstorms tomorrow after the country battled a seventh consecutive day of 30C heat.
The Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm warning covering southern Scotland from midnight until 6am tomorrow morning.
This follows thunderstorm warnings that were already in place for parts of the UK this afternoon.
The warning means some people could be in store for flash flooding, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds – with possible interruptions to road access and public transport.
This week’s heatwave has already broken the record for the most consecutive days with temperatures above 30C in September, with Saharan dust generating vivid sunsets and sunrises in the clear conditions.
The country battled a seventh consecutive day of 30C heat today. Pictured: A view of a busy beach in Broadstairs, Kent today
The Met Office issued a yellow thunderstorm warning covering southern Scotland from midnight until 6am on Monday morning. Pictured: Cars and vehicles get trapped on a flooded road as a torrential downpour in Newcastle this afternoon
This follows thunderstorm warnings that were already in place for parts of the UK this afternoon. Pictured: Flooded roads in Newcastle this afternoon
The warning means some people could be in store for flash flooding, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds – with possible interruptions to road access and public transport
The Met Office said that the highest temperature on Sunday was recorded in Cambridge, at 32.5C.
What is causing the heatwave in Britain?
The heatwave is being driven by tropical storms pushing a high pressure system over the UK, with the jet stream having moved to the north and bending into what is known as an omega blocking pattern.
Named after the Greek letter omega because of its shape, this system occurs when an area of high pressure gets stuck between two areas of low-pressure to the west and east and also slightly south.
This has brought torrential rain and flooding for Spain and Greece but hot, dry and clear conditions for the UK.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said that the heatwave is ‘unprecedented’.
‘We have never seen anything as long lived in terms of a heatwave in September before,’ he said.
Amid the hot weather, a yellow thunderstorm warning spanning Northern Ireland, northern parts of England and Wales as well as southern and north-eastern Scotland has been issued by the Met Office from 2pm until 11.59pm today.
A similar weather weather warning will continue to cover southern Scotland from midnight until the early hours of tomorrow morning.
‘We have a third thunderstorm warning overnight for southern Scotland,’ Mr Morgan said.
‘That expires at 6am. And then once that’s cleared, there will be a few thunderstorms tomorrow.
‘But for the vast majority they will be a bit more scattered in nature than today.’
The next few days will start to see cooler temperatures across the UK, with tomorrow predicted to see showers in the southeast.
The rain will eventually clear on Tuesday, leaving mostly dry and sunny conditions while Wednesday will see a cooler start with some sunshine and further showers later in the day.
A cyclist rides along a path at Hackney Marshes in north east London
A view of a busy beach in Margate, Kent, which saw yet another scorching day
Durdle Door in Dorset was packed this afternoon as beach goers enjoyed another day scorching September sunshine
The sun rises this morning in Dunsden, Oxfordshire
People with umbrellas admire Brunell’s Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol under stormy skies during a shower of rain
A couple in a kayak pass punters on the River Cam in Cambridge
Raich Keene and Raphael the retriever on a sunny back beach at Teignmouth, Devon, yesterday morning
People flock to a beach in Margate, Kent, earlier today
People enjoy the hot weather on Deal beach in Kent today
Yesterday saw Brighton beach packed with parasols as 150,000 day-trippers flocked to the Sussex resort, while Blackpool pulled in 100,000 visitors.
This week’s hot weather has triggered a fresh wave of health warnings, amid fears the NHS will come under pressure, as those with heart conditions or breathing difficulties are put at most risk.
Some events have also been cancelled, including Dogfest, which was due to take place this weekend at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire but was called off after the weather conditions were deemed ‘not in the best interests of dogs’.
The scorching conditions are making the UK warmer than Malaga on the Costa del Sol, which was only set to reach 28C (82F) today.
Supermarkets reported soaring demand for summer food and drink products, with Tesco estimating it would be up to 80 per cent higher this weekend than in mid-July.
Meanwhile Toolstation said sales of watering cans have increased by 107 per cent compared to the previous week, and up 84 per cent compared to this time last year
The Met Office has issued a yellow thunderstorm warning until tomorrow morning
A lady relaxes on the beach in Broadstairs, Kent today
Sales of cooling fans have risen by a whopping 1,704 per cent, while water sprinklers are up by 465 per cent and hoses have risen by 88 per cent in the same timeframe.
Lakeland added that sales of ice cream makers are up by 483 per cent week on week – although, bizarrely, heated blankets are also up 192 per cent week on week.
Meanwhile Waitrose said sales of burgers were up 29 per cent compared to the same time last year, ice cream sales up 49 per cent and rosé sales up 28 per cent.
Searches for ‘Ice lolly’ on Waitrose.com have risen 60 per cent in the last week, while ‘bbq food’ is up 29 per cent and ‘picnic bag’ is up 200 per cent.
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