Lidos, ponds, beaches and pools have been busy today (Picture: JA/BACKGRID)
The hottest temperature of the year so far has been recorded today, the Met Office said.
A sweltering 32.7°C has been reported in Heathrow – knocking Wisley in Surrey off the top spot which saw temperatures of 32.6°C just two days ago, on Thursday.
It seems like plenty of Brits are feeling the heat, as the number of searches for heat exhaustion advice has spiked in the last couple of days.
An amber heat health alert has been in place for much of the week, meaning the impact of the high temperatures are likely to affect people aged over 65 and those with pre-existing respiratory or cardiovascular disease.
Plus London Mayor Sadiq Khan issued the first ‘high’ air pollution alert for the capital since June today, urging people to stop their engines idling and not to burn wood or garden waste.
Thankfully we’ll be returning to more normal September temperatures next week, with the forecast predicting a mix of sunshine, showers, and windy conditions.
Our final chance at summer is set to come to a dramatic close, however, as there is a yellow weather warning in place for thunderstorms across parts of England and Wales.
The warning covers east Wales, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Manchester, Nottingham and Oxford and is in place until 9pm on Saturday.
Another yellow thunderstorm warning, covering Northern Ireland, northern parts of England and Wales, and southern Scotland, is in place until midnight on Sunday.
The thunderstorms could lead to flash flooding, lightning strikes, hail, or strong winds.
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Environment Agency flood duty manager Chris Wilding warned motorists against driving through floodwaters in the case of flash flooding.
He said: ‘Significant surface water flooding is possible but not expected across parts of England on Saturday afternoon and evening due to isolated intense downpours.
‘We urge people not to drive through floodwater – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.’
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The 2023 record has been broken just two days after the last one was set.
