Storms For Some

The Summer Solstice is here and it's another very warm or hot day to come across central and eastern regions of the UK today but a change is already afoot with cooler and fresher air trying to make inroads and this process continues over the next 24 hours or so, cumulating in some potentially heavy thunderstorms breaking out in places as an upper trough drifts east.

Temperatures haven't dropped too far overnight and they will soon rise this morning with many places seeing some sunshine once any mist and low cloud clears. However, cloudier skies towards the west and southwest are already bringing a few showers and cloud will tend to build in many areas as we go through the day. Although many regions will remain mostly fine, we are expecting a scattering of heavy showers and thunderstorms to break out, especially over higher parts of Wales, northern England and perhaps up into parts of Scotland. Not everywhere will see them, but where they do develop they could turn quite nasty with the risk of torrential downpours bringing localised flash flooding, lightning strikes, hail and gusty winds. Many parts of East Anglia and southeast England will remain mostly fine though and here is where we are expecting the highest temperatures of 30°C to 33°C. It will be less warm further north and west and pretty cool and grey for the Northern Isles so this is the place to be if you don't like the heat.

Any heavy showers and thunderstorms that do break out will linger on into this evening bringing the risk of some further downpours in places but they will slowly ease away tonight as cooler and fresher air makes inroads from the west. Showers or longer spells of rain will affect many northern and western regions and these will spread further south and east tomorrow along with those cooler conditions but for parts of East Anglia and southeast England Sunday will be another very warm day.

METEOROLOGIST : BARBER